


release the bats

by Growlithe, starsinew



Category: Free!
Genre: Actual fireworks, Anal Sex, Blood Drinking, Bondage, Explicit Sexual Content, Face-Fucking, Fluff, M/M, Magical Accidents, Spooky AU, Vampires, Witches, top!Nagisa, vampire!Rei, witch!Nagisa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-22 17:00:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2515079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Growlithe/pseuds/Growlithe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsinew/pseuds/starsinew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei picks the wrong witch to feed from. His world is set on fire.</p><p>(or: bat boy does fire hazard)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> spooky scary nagireis feat. an abundance of nagisa topping the absolute hell out of rei for all. title from birthday party's seminal halloween acid party classic, 'release the bats'.

The air is warm, and the night clear and crisp. It is a good night for flying.

It is a good night for feeding.

Rei believes in a certain _elegance_ when it comes to feeding. The mere notion of enduring the wretched circuses known as _clubs_ is something he finds spiritually distasteful. He sees no appeal in the abjectly offensive activity of _grinding,_ strobe lights serve only to irritate him, and the last time he had been foolish enough to venture into such hostile territory, the night had come to an abrupt end when a particularly clumsy lummox had spilled cheap beer on his very best jacket.

Some might consider Rei to be old-fashioned, but he’d much prefer to attract someone with his eloquent speech and timeless good looks than to degrade himself gyrating to modern music. Not that he isn’t perfectly _capable_ of gyrating - it is merely that dignity, it seems, is his cross to bear.

It’s often a struggle to find an appetising human, and when Rei _does_ come across someone suitable, there are rules that must be followed. Rei is always charming - he finds a bit of polite small talk makes everything pleasant for all parties. He’s always prepared with reassuring statistics about how perfectly safe it is to drink up to 500ml of blood. Rei is perfectly skilled at interacting with humans, he just finds them troublesome - they talk too much, they become attached, infatuated, and really, who can blame them?

Still, the only alternative option is to feed from rats like a starving _commoner_ and not only is this unacceptable, it is _unthinkable._ Rei is disgusted by the mere thoughtof stooping so low.

Yes, feeding can be such a difficult process. But sometimes it’s necessary.

It’s out of necessity that Rei finds himself flying through the forest that night. He’s heading towards a bookstore he knows opens late - he finds that typically, the humans there tend to provide stimulating conversation in addition to nourishment.

He’s taking a shortcut when his excellent night vision alerts him to a figure darting along a path beneath the trees, following a small speck of light - a torch perhaps. Rei swoops down lower to observe. He perches inconspicuously on a tree, nothing out of the ordinary here, just an average bat with a greater wingspan than most and unusually velvety skin (Rei may be undead but he still understands the importance of moisturising, thank you).

His curiosity is firmly aroused. He ponders what this human is doing out in the forest, so late at night - and in _that_ hat? _Those_ socks? Rei should move along, but he can’t help but notice the healthy glow of the man’s skin. His breathing does not appear to be laboured despite the fast movement, indicating good physical condition. Rei would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to converse with an appetising human in such a dark, secluded location.

He is famished, after all.

There’s the usual pulse of violet light (stunning, if Rei says so himself) as he shifts from his bat form into his human form. The young man, clearly sensing a disturbance, freezes ahead of him. He turns to look, and Rei’s outstanding night vision reveals that his eyes are a most striking shade of magenta - that his hair is a rather stunning shade of blonde.

Oh yes, Rei thinks, he will do nicely.

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Rei asks, looking mysteriously towards the full moon, allowing the light to reflect softly across his flawless skin.

“Oh no,” says the young man, rather rudely, Rei thinks, given his polite greeting, “Not this shape-shifting crap again.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rei asks, but he receives no response.

There’s a cloud of smoke and then, suddenly, there at least fifty mice scampering towards Rei’s feet. He lets out a dignified scream as the vermin scurry across his immaculately shined shoes, now scuffed to a truly distressing extent, as they scarper off into the woods.

“ _Where-?”_ he gasps, caught somewhere between shock and apocalyptic rage.

The young man is looking at his hands with consternation. “Oops,” he says, “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“How _dare_ you,” Rei snarls.

“Wait,” says the man, “Be quiet for a second.” He squints at his hands, closing them, flicking his fingers back out, “Come on, please, don’t be like this-”

There’s a pulsing pink aura sketched around his fingertips all of a sudden, before there’s a loud _BANG_ and another herd of rodents, this time probably somewhere in the vicinity of a hundred, appear.

Rei is simply too aghast to respond to this new fleet. Not only has this incredibly rude man set a horde of rodents on him twice now, but he’d told him to _be quiet,_ as though _Rei_ is somehow in the wrong here.

This man has no idea who he’s dealing with, Rei thinks, swishing his cape dramatically. Rei might have impeccable manners, but he’s still a fearsome spectre of the night, so he hisses, opening his mouth to bare his fangs and terrify this offensive young man and his army of rodents away to be rude to someone more deserving.

The man stops dead. His striking, yet irritating eyes widen.

“Oh,” he says, looking positively thrilled, “You’re a _vampire!”_

Rei pauses, for two reasons - one, the man should be frightened out of wits right now, and two, he would’ve thought that the whole bat situation had made things fairly obvious.

“I’ve never met a vampire before,” the man says, taking Rei’s lack of response as an invitation to step closer, wide eyes practically sparkling.

Rei takes an automatic step backwards. “They generally dislike it when you ruin their shoes with unnecessary rodents,” he sniffs.

“Oh,” the man says, with an infuriating giggle, “Yeah, sorry, that just kind of _happens_ sometimes.”

“Do you often introduce yourself to strangers that way?” Rei asks.

“I’m usually not trying to set strangers on fire!” chirps the man.

“ _Fire_?” Rei squawks, taking a further step backwards.

“Oh, don’t worry, I thought you were someone else,” the man says, casually. “So what’s your name? I’m Nagisa!”

Rei bristles. “You mean to suggest that you were attempting to _set me ablaze not five minutes ago,_ and now you expect me to tell you my _name?”_

“Yeah!” says the man - Nagisa - smiling expectantly.

Oh no. Absolutely _not._ Rei has his limits, regardless of physically striking, incredibly rude strangers in truly ridiculous hats, and he will not stand idly by and be party to his own disrespect like this.

“I think not,” he says, striking a dramatic pose as he readies himself to return to his bat form, “Good day to you.”

“Wait!” Nagisa cries, reaching out to grab Rei’s arm, “Don’t leave! You just got here and it’s been so long since I’ve met someone so fascinating and _your teeth_! I’ve never seen such sharp teeth before. Can I see them again?”

Rei should leave - he _will_ leave - but the truth is, he _is_ fascinating. He’s suddenly reminded that most people spend their lives dreaming of meeting a vampire and it would be unfair of him to deprive this Nagisa of his dream so callously. He’ll allow him five more minutes. Five more minutes and then Rei will be on his way to feed from someone who appreciates classic novels and the scintillating sound of the harpsichord and does not possess the ability to conjure rodents with a flick of his hands. Physically attractive though he is, Rei is quite certain he’ll have forgotten that Nagisa ever existed by Tuesday. Wednesday at the latest.

“Do you file them?” Rei is startled when he realises Nagisa has somehow managed to slip close enough to peer up into his face curiously. A hand reaches up, and rather than push it away, Rei lets it skim small delicate fingers across his jaw. “Seriously. _So_ sharp. Wow.”

“Of course I don’t file them,” Rei says, opening his mouth wider to show off his extended fangs.

“Amazing,” Nagisa breathes, pushing up onto his tiptoes. He’s far too close. His eyes really are stunning.

“Yes,” Rei says, taking a step backwards, staring at the trunk of a nearby tree because it’s much safer than making eye contact with Nagisa. “Well.”

“I should’ve guessed that you’re a vampire,” Nagisa says, grinning. “I mean, your clothes...”

“What of my clothes?” Rei asks.

“They’re just a bit,” he waves his hand and a faint gold spark flickers from his fingertips, “You know, _old_. But you must be pretty old, right? So it works for you.”

Rei jerks his head backwards as the words hit him like a slap across the face. Rei is in his prime. Rei’s clothes are timeless. Rei will _not_ be insulted by a witch in a pointed hat and long striped socks.

“Are you honestly mocking my vintage attire when you’re dressed like _that_?” Rei asks.

“I look cute!” Nagisa says, with a pout.  


“My cape,” Rei says, whipping it so hard he sends a few scattered leaves flying dramatically into the air, “Is far superior.”

Rei loathes to be ill-mannered but Nagisa’s cape looks as though it might be sold in the children’s section of a halloween store, right beside the pumpkin fairy lights and the neon plastic skeletons that glow garishly in the dark.

“Okay, but look!” Nagisa says.

He twirls, short tacky cape flying out behind him and scattering pink sparks that scorch patches of grass near Rei’s feet. Nagisa grins, bright and beaming, like he’s awfully proud of himself for successfully moving in a circle and almost causing further damage to Rei’s shoes.

Rei sighs heavily.

“Don’t be jealous,” Nagisa says, patting Rei’s arm, “I’ll let you borrow my hat.”

“Vampires don’t often wear _pink_ ,” says Rei, through gritted teeth.

“But you’d look _so good_ if you just brightened things up a bit! Maybe lose this silly handkerchief thing,” he says, tugging on Rei’s cravat. “Wait, I know!”

His fingertips glow a soft shade of orange and for a moment Rei just stares, captivated by how pretty Nagisa’s face looks framed by the glimmer of light in the dark forest.

It’s a mistake, he discovers promptly. There’s an overwhelming burst of bright light and then Rei starts to feel unusually warm, hotter than he has in years.

Upon glancing down, Rei discovers that his favourite cravat has burst into flames.

Rei is on fire. The witch has set him on fire.

Panic bursts from Rei’s chest as he screams in a humiliating high-pitched manner that is perfectly acceptable, given the situation. He’s on _fire_ and Nagisa is screeching out apologies but Rei isn’t listening. All he can do is shriek in horror as his precious cravat crackles and burns.He has to do _something_ , but he isn’t exactly well read on theories of firefighting. He isn’t prepared for this - he lacks experience and his cloak - _his stylish cloak_ \- it’s most definitely flammable. He’s going to die. Rei is still in his prime, and he’s going to be killed by a badly dressed witch who has no control over his magic.  


Rei is about to fling himself inelegantly on the ground when he catches sight of Nagisa, charging forward through the smoke, hands raised, eyes wide and panicked.

“WAIT, WAIT, I'M SO SORRY, JUST HOLD STILL, LET ME -”

A jet of water hits Rei in the face. He splutters as the fire fizzles out. His monocle slips from his face, swinging down into the ruins of what was once his most beloved cravat. Rei stands shaking and breathless, a most vicious scowl fixed upon his face. He has never felt more humiliated in his _entire_ existence. His perfect hair is a disaster. He could have _died._ His entire evening is ruined. He’ll never tempt someone sophisticated into letting him feed if he turns up looking _this_ barbaric.

Rei huffs, flicking his limp hair dramatically off his face. He wipes the water from his eyes and observes that the most troublesome person he has met in the last fifty years is trembling in fear - rightfully so - shoulders shaking, hands clamped over his mouth.

Rei extends his fangs to their full length and hisses, teeth sharp and dangerous.

Nagisa lets out a disrespectful little snicker.

Rei cannot help but freeze for a good thirty seconds.

“Did you just _laugh?_ ” Rei asks, finally, attempting to sound low and deadly. Unfortunately speaking with his fangs extended all the way can cause a variety of difficulties, including a minor but no less dignified lisp.

“N-no,” Nagisa splutters, lowering his hands to reveal his face. His teeth are digging into his bottom lip as he makes a truly appalling attempt at biting back his laughter.

“I think,” Rei says, “That evidence would suggest otherwise.”

“It’s just,” Nagisa gasps, “You should’ve seen your face!” He collapses forward in a fit of giggles, warm hand gripping at Rei’s sleeve for balance.

“Don’t touch me,” snarls Rei, tugging his arm away. “Do not attempt to come near me again.”

Nagisa straightens up, and all of a sudden he’s wide eyed and serious.

“But I thought we were _friends_ ,” he says, sounding devastated.

His eyes are wide and glistening with tears and Rei _almost_ feels sympathy fluttering inside his chest. Then he remembers that Nagisa shed those very tears laughing at his attempted murder.

“Yes, well,” says Rei, “What could have been. But unfortunately you set me on fire and attempted to drown me.”

“But-”

Rei stuns Nagisa silent as he shifts into his bat form. He’s so irritated that he doesn’t even offer a polite goodbye (this offensive young man doesn’t _deserve_ his outstanding manners). He surges up into the air with a dramatic swoop of his wings, offering one last scathing remark about Nagisa’s lack of respect.

Unfortunately, as Rei is a bat, it comes out as a slightly pathetic sounding squeak.

“Sorry,” Nagisa says, looking bewildered, “My bat isn't great. I'm only fluent in cat and frog.”

And Rei simply _cannot_ leave without making _utterly sure_ this troublesome man is aware of the fact that he’s disrespectful, and uncouth, and utterly resplendent in his committed tackiness, so he transforms back into his human form - another three minutes at most, for this important lesson, and then he will be on his way.

“I said that you are the most disrespectful and troublesome individual I have ever had the displeasure of meeting,” he informs Nagisa, hands resolutely on his hips, “And that I wholeheartedly regret _ever_ attempting to feed off you.”

Nagisa’s eyes sparkle, which is generally not the reaction Rei is used to receiving when he broaches the feeding issue. Nor is being brashly grasped by his damp collar and wrenched forward so that they’re close, _so_ close, barely a breath apart, and Rei can see the sheer _depth_ of the colour of Nagisa’s eyes, how they’re almost luminous in their richness, how smooth and pale his skin is, the way his jugular vein thumps in a steady, delicious pulse beneath that skin, and-

“Hungry, are you?” Nagisa says sweetly.

-Oh, yes, Rei _is_ famished - how had he forgotten?

Right. Yes. Of course. The most troublesome human being since the turn of the century. Who also happens to be perhaps the most _distracting_ human being since the turn of the century.

Who, a part of himself reminds Rei, still bleeds like any other human. Probably quite deliciously so, if his complexion and general state of fitness is indicative of anything.

“Is _that_ why you swooped down?” The music of Nagisa’s voice is light and teasing, straining just a bit when he tilts his head back, baring his throat, and _oh._ That _is_ a vision.

Another part of Rei considers the possibility that Nagisa’s blood is as troublesome as the rest of him. Drinking it may cause him to turn into a toad, for instance, or be electrocuted, or something similarly inconvenient.

“Oh,” he forces himself to say, just as he has to force himself not to run his tongue over his lips, “No. No. It’s quite alright. I’ll just-”

 _Be on my way,_ he means to say, and this time, he _means_ it, but then Nagisa steps closer, if that’s even possible, and there’s that heat again, only it isn’t fire this time, obviously, and Rei thinks that it might just be Nagisa.

“Are you _suuure?”_ he whispers, eyes alight, teeth bared in a grin.

His jugular pulses quicker, beneath his skin, as though he’s excited. Rei knows he’s being terribly rude, but he can’t seem to tear his eyes from it, the tiny, steady jump humans would miss but Rei never could, even if he wanted to.

Even if he weren’t starving.

“Because, you know,” Nagisa whispers, “I’m down.”

“Oh, _are_ you?” Rei breathes back, and he teeters on the edge, and why not, honestly, why shouldn’t he-

“Yeah,” says Nagisa, “Doesn’t your venom totally make people trip balls and stuff?”

And just like that, the spell is broken. Rei wrinkles his nose.

“Oh, _honestly,”_ he scoffs.

“What?” Nagisa asks, wide-eyed, “What’d I say?”

“‘ _Trip balls’.”_ It’s so crass it almost nauseates Rei to repeat it. “It’s a mildly-sedating aphrodisiac, if you _must_ know-”

“Even better!” Nagisa chirps, with an excited little bounce.

“Even… better?” Rei repeats, haltingly.

If he didn’t know better, he’d suspect this witch is attempting to seduce him.

“Come on,” Nagisa purrs, tapping the enticing shiver of his pulse with two fingers, “Get all up in there.”

He’s definitely not being seduced, because no one in their right mind would find _that_ seductive.

“Perhaps - if you’re serious, I mean - we could move to a more suitable location. Somewhere we can-”

“Lie down?” purrs Nagisa.

“Not exactly what I was going to suggest but,” Rei swallows, thick and dry, “Well.”

“I live close,” Nagisa says, tugging on Rei’s sleeve, “Let’s go, bat boy.”

“ _Bat boy_?” Rei squawks. “First of all, I am not a boy, I am a _man,_ and second, I have a name and it’s-”

He pauses for a moment. He’s still somewhat reluctant to reveal his name, but that feeling is overpowered by his desire to never be called _bat boy_ again.

“It’s Rei,” he says, shifting his eyes to the side because things are easier that way. He can pretend he doesn’t notice how Nagisa’s whole face lights up like he’s just discovered something truly wonderful.

“ _Rei,”_ coos Nagisa, like he’s testing out the way it sounds. “Rei the bat boy - it’s perfect! I love it!”

“Just Rei will do fine,” he insists, arms tightly folded.

“So _Rei_ ,” Nagisa says, a wicked grin spreading across his face, “Wanna come and ride my broomstick?”

“That won’t be necessary,” sniffs Rei, “I’m already quite skilled at flying, thank you.”

Nagisa throws his head back and laughs and Rei blinks slowly, bewildered by such a reaction. He hadn’t intended any humour in that statement.

“You’re _so_ funny,” Nagisa says, when he’s caught his breath. “Come on, it’s this way.”

Nagisa conjures a small ball of light, looking awfully proud of the way that it appears without mishap, the way that it hovers in the air. Rei keeps a safe distance away from it. With his superior night vision, it’s not like he requires the assistance.

They travel down a twisted path through the forest and Rei wonders how humans ever get _anything_ done when they’re forced to move on foot. He’s become so reliant on swooping above the forest that it’s almost exhilarating to _stroll_ like this - wind sweeping through his hair, leaves crackling beneath his feet.

Nagisa babbles the whole way, telling Rei about the ‘ _witch rave’_ he’s missing. That’s why he’s wearing his hat, he says, and everyone’s going to be _so mad_ because it was his turn to conjure the lights. Rei is confused by the concept of a rave, but the way Nagisa describes the loud music and the alcoholic beverages in the cauldron makes him insist that no, he will absolutely _not_ ‘drop by’ with Nagisa later. Not that Rei couldn’t handle it - Rei had handled a particularly wild book club just last month and the debate that had occurred could be described as downright _rowdy_. It’s just that the thought of being in the proximity of more than one witch makes his stomach twist in horror, just a little.

“We’re here!” Nagisa yells, throwing out his arms when they’re close to the edge of the forest.

They’re standing in front of a secluded cottage with a bright yellow front door and an overgrown garden filled with unusual looking plants. It’s a pleasant looking home, small and welcoming, wild and a little lopsided. It suits Nagisa, Rei decides as he’s led inside.

It’s one of the more unusual places Rei has ever visited. It’s dimly lit, crammed with old wooden furniture that’s painted a mix of bright clashing colours, and there’s a hot pink cauldron bubbling on a huge stone fireplace, and surely that’s a hazard, to go out and just leave it boiling like that.  The walls are a jarring mix of old-fashioned brickwork and bright modern paintings, lined with long shelves of luminous jars filled with mysterious liquids. It’s not the tidiest place in the world - there are glittering cobwebs in corners and Rei is quite certain he just stepped on a squeaky cat toy - but somehow it’s welcoming. Homely.

“This place is certainly,” Rei clears his throat, “ _Interesting_.”

“Make yourself comfortable!” Nagisa chirps, gesturing towards a sofa that’s covered with scorch marks and a neon green stain.

“Thank you,” says Rei, making no attempt to move towards it.

“Back in a minute!” Nagisa says, dashing past Rei in a brightly coloured blur.

He disappears down a hall and Rei hears his footsteps, hears him clattering around in another room. Rei uses his time alone to bid farewell to his poor cravat. He tugs it off and folds up the tattered mess, laying it to rest on a nearby table. He presses a hand to his chest and refrains from looking directly at it, because he knows just once glance will tempt him into making a swift exit through the window. In an ideal world, Rei could seek out reassurance that his outfit works without it, but of course mirrors are no use to a vampire.

And while he’s alone, he might as well take his elaborately engineered hair styling device from his inside pocket - the wide toothed contraption that’s _so much more_ than a standard comb, perfected over the years by Rei himself to help him achieve an immaculate hairstyle in a cruel, reflectionless world. Of course, he only fixes his hair to pass the time. It’s not like he’s trying to impress Nagisa or anything.

His hair is neatly styled when Nagisa bounds back into the room with a musical, “Hi!”

Rei slyly pockets his comb.

“So do you like cake?” Nagisa grins, leaning in close, “Because I’m really good at conjuring cakes!”

He raises his hands and _no,_ please, no more magic, Rei can practically _smell_ the smoke. He reaches out and catches Nagisa’s wrists in his hands in an attempt at preventing disaster. It works, sort of. There are no fires, but Rei finds himself overwhelmed by the feel of Nagisa’s pulse racing beneath his skin, so tempting it makes him shudder.

“I tend to prefer blood,” Rei says, thumb grazing lightly over Nagisa’s wrist.

“Ah. Yeah. _Right_ ,” Nagisa giggles and he almost sounds nervous. “So like. What do I do?”

“Take off your shirt.”

 _“Oh,_ ” says Nagisa, and Rei likes the way that makes his cheeks flush an attractive shade of pink.

“Blood stains,” Rei explains, “Are near impossible to get out of white garments.”

“ _Sure_ ,” Nagisa smirks as his cape drops to the floor.

Rei watches, eyes transfixed as Nagisa discards his waistcoat, as his fingers start to work on the buttons of his white blouse. He almost gasps when the blouse falls carelessly to the floor, when his neck is fully exposed. Rei’s stunned by how lovely he looks in the soft light, slender but athletic, skin so radiant and pretty that it would almost be a shame to pierce it.

It’ll heal, Rei reasons, moving closer.

He rests his hand on the small of Nagisa’s back and draws him in, watching how his eyes widen not with fear but excitement. They’re so close that Rei’s eyes are drawn to how soft and inviting Nagisa’s lips look, all parted and panting, for a moment he’s almost tempted to - no, focus, _famished_.

Rei’s fingers stroke over Nagisa’s delicate throat, nudging his neck to the side as he bares his fangs. Moments later his lips are on Nagisa’s neck, mouthing over the pulse thrumming beneath his skin. Nagisa clutches at his hair and drags in Rei so they’re pressed tight against each other, so they can’t get any closer

Rei scrapes his fangs over Nagisa’s pulse and feels his breath hitch and suddenly he can’t wait any longer, he’s desperate, he _has_ to taste. Nagisa winces and sucks a breath in through his teeth when he breaks the skin and for a moment Rei feels _awful_ , then the witch moans, long and drawn out, and that’s all the encouragement Rei needs to start sucking, moaning a little himself.

Nagisa makes a soft whimper and goes limp in Rei’s arms and god, his body feels so warm, his blood tastes so sweet on Rei’s tongue and he should probably do something about how loud he’s sucking but he can’t seem to control himself.

Rei can’t stand the thought of ever stopping, but he forces himself eventually, he _has_ to, or it’ll be dangerous for Nagisa, dangerous for the both of them. He gazes down at the body flopped back in his arms, breathing slow and heavy. His eyes are misty and half-lidded and _oh_. He’s _awake_.

Isn’t that unusual.

“You’re supposed to be unconscious,” Rei says, leaning back. He forgets all about the blood smeared down his chin until a drop slides down Nagisa’s bare chest.

“I totally have a boner right now,” Nagisa says, sleepily.

A quick glance downwards confirms that he is not, in fact, deceiving Rei.

“You’re so hot,” Nagisa murmurs, blinking long and slow, like this is the last breath he’ll take before sleep.

“I actually maintain a consistent body temperature of eleven degrees celsius,” says Rei, because he certainly doesn’t _feel_ hot, hasn’t in so long.

Nagisa lets out a soft, sleepy giggle. “You’re so funny,” he says again, voice cracking a little, and Rei doesn’t know whether he should be pleased or offended by that assessment, and so he settles for confused, as he has been most of the night. No one else has ever called him ‘funny’ after feeding.

“Oh,” he almost gasps, realising that the puncture is still bleeding, that he’d gotten caught up staring, wondering, certainly not _marvelling,_ no marvelling to be seen here, “Pardon me-” and he leans down, swiping his tongue over the oozing wounds, healing them in an instant, a shudder cutting through him when the faintly sweet taste of Nagisa’s blood slips across his tongue again. Feeling safe now that the puncture wounds are closed, he laps up the remaining blood, justifying this mildly barbaric practice with the fact that it’s far, far too good to waste, patterning Nagisa’s neck with a wild wash of streaks of blood and saliva, his eyes slipping half-shut as he feels his mind go hazy, and before he knows what he’s doing, he’s following the errant drop that had escaped down Nagisa’s chest with his tongue, gliding saliva over the pale skin, down, down-

There’s a shallow moan from above him, and then hands settling in his hair, rubbing in soothing, weary circles against his scalp. It’s then that Rei realises what he’s doing, that it might be interpreted in a manner known as ‘seductive’, and he draws back, because he’s certainly not trying to be _seductive._

Is he?

Nagisa stares up at him, eyes still half-lidded, darker now - Rei can almost see himself reflected in the sinking, wanting depths of his pupils. “Kiss me.” He whispers it.

“K- k,” Rei stammers back, eloquently, “Um.” That certainly hadn’t been a ‘no’.

“That’s what happens next,” Nagisa says softly, “Right?”

“Um,” Rei says again, “Ah. Perhaps- perhaps _traditionally…”_

“You don’t want to?”

Rei really should be taking this moment to reflect upon the not insignificant fact that this man had set him on fire and attempted to drown him not ten minutes earlier. He’s unfortunately preoccupied with the thought that such _activities_ as the ones Nagisa is suggesting might just prove to be pleasant.

Something softens in Nagisa’s eyes, and it’s so honest and warm that Rei considers the possibility he may have judged Nagisa too harshly, too quickly. That the whole attempted murder issue may have in fact just been an accident, a mistake anyone could make. That perhaps Nagisa is not wholly troublesome, but kinder and more compassionate than his shiny polyester cape and tendency to set things alight might have initially hinted.

“Ohhhh,” Nagisa says, gentle and knowing, “Of course.”

“Of course what?”

“You’re totally a virgin, right?” Nagisa says, and Rei almost drops him, “That’s cool, you know, I should’ve expected it, you have a very _unique_ way of dressing. Very niche.” A hand reaches up to pet through his hair. “I don’t mind. I’ll be gentle with you.”

Rei promptly forgets about any and all thoughts of Nagisa being kind or compassionate, or even remotely sufferable. He does begin thinking, however, that it’s about time he shut him up.

“Well,” he says, his voice sinking low, and Nagisa’s eyes widen, just a little, “Actually.”

He draws him nearer, leaving scarcely any space between them, lips almost touching, and he feels Nagisa suck in a shivering, exhilarated breath, and he’s about to strike, hard and fast and predatory like he had when he’d sunk his teeth into his soft vulnerable neck and tasted him, only Nagisa gets there first, and then they’re kissing, aggressive and rough, and Nagisa doesn’t even seem to mind that his blood is still smeared across Rei’s face. He certainly gives as good as he gets, Rei thinks idly, letting out a soft noise when Nagisa’s teeth sink into his lower lip - he’s recovered so _quickly,_ and Rei doesn’t know what to make of that, almost like he _refuses_ outright to be sedated.

But of course, Rei thinks - Nagisa _is_ magical, after all.

Magical enough to have the strength to lunge at him, shoving him back against the wall with a soft _thump_ as his fingers tighten in his hair and he yanks Rei down, biting so hard at Rei’s lower lip that Rei hisses reflexively and his fangs extend at the snap of pain, fingers seizing Nagisa’s wrists and _squeezing_ as he lunges back against him. His teeth snag at Nagisa’s lip and tear through the skin a little, the sweet-salty copper taste of his blood flecking against his tongue.

Rei is about to pull away and apologise for being so frightfully rude, but Nagisa pulls away first. His pupils are dilated, all depthless and round, a soft pink watercolour wash of blood smeared across his chin, and he’s grinning, _grinning,_ as blood wells from two perfect puncture points on his lush lower lip.

If Rei’s heart could still beat, it would be skipping more than its fair share.

“Oh, bat boy,” he croons, like he’s half-mad, delirious, “Bat boy, bat boy, _bat boy-”_

“Cease and desist this instant,” Rei croaks.

“-I _like_ you.”

He’s being crowded against the wall again, Nagisa’s hands firm on his shoulders as he barges him backwards and laughs against Rei’s lips, short and breathy and almost manic. Rei’s fingers twist in Nagisa’s hair, tugging him close so he can swipe his tongue over his broken lip, heal the wounds, catch drops of delectable blood before they drip to the floor and go to waste. They fumble back into a messy kiss, tainted by the taste of copper, but Nagisa’s moaning into Rei’s mouth, he doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’ll admit,” Rei says, between kisses, “That I find you,” he pauses to seek out the right word, “ _Intriguing_.”

“ _Intriguing,_ ” Nagisa repeats, as though Rei had called him the most captivating creature he’s met in half a century, or something equally unwise.

He grins against Rei’s lips and drags him down for an open mouthed kiss, and there’s a sweetness, Rei thinks, in how _human_ Nagisa is - his pounding heart, the sharp exhales through his nose, the way he runs out of breath and has to pull back after a while to catch it.

“Your venom,” Nagisa pants, “Is really strong stuff.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Rei says, preening a little because venom potency is a point of pride in the vampire community, a mark of strength and virility and all around evolutionary superiority.

“Yeah, I’m _really_ feeling it,” Nagisa says, reiterating the point with a sharp rock of his hips.

And oh, Rei is feeling it too, feeling the way Nagisa pushes hard against his thigh, igniting something inside of him that he’d almost forgotten how to feel _._ Rei lifts Nagisa off his feet, thrilled by the little noise of excitement that escapes his lips, by the way he just _knows_ to wrap his legs around Rei’s waist and _move_. Rei flips them around, slamming Nagisa up against the wall, then he’s biting on Rei’s lip again, tugging hard, arching his back so he can grind his hips harder. Rei feels he might have acted rashly to have previously disregarded grinding completely because this is – _this is –_

Rei slides one hand over Nagisa’s thigh, scrapes his immaculately manicured nails over the strip of bare skin between his silly high socks and those little shorts. Rei knows that his appetite should be satisfied by now but _oh,_ the curve of his thigh, that soft skin with all that sweet blood pulsing beneath it - Rei feels kind of desperate to sink his teeth into it.

“Nagisa,” Rei murmurs, in that low, smooth voice he’s spent decades perfecting, “Might we move proceedings to your bedroom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join us for the thrilling conclusion on october 31. 
> 
> drop us a spooky line, if you dare:
> 
> Growlithe - http://nagireigisa.tumblr.com/  
> sparklecringe - http://offdensens.tumblr.com/ or @partymakoto on twitter


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sex, bat, horror, vampire, sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the adventures of rei the very fearsome vampire part 2, featuring a lot of magical vampire sex
> 
> the spider song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_qEkxeW42w  
> rei's opera song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tUq8Q_b8Lg

There’s a pause as they regard one another - Nagisa’s still panting, lips all red and wet, eyes wide. Rei realises that he no longer remembers what it’s like to lose his breath, but he doesn’t miss it, not really, when he has this in front of him, this perfect reminder.

Then Nagisa jerks his head vaguely to the left, eyes sparkling-

Or sparking, as it were - Rei blinks and jerks back when bright sparks of pink go dusting across his cheeks, and he’s expecting a burn, for it to hurt him, but there’s nothing but a gentle warmth, slipping in pelting streaks across his skin like the straggling raindrops of a noon sunshower.

“Oh, sorry!” Nagisa gasps, and then he’s touching Rei’s face, and his fingers are warm, and everything about Nagisa is so _warm,_ “That happens when I get, you know, _excited,_ sometimes.”

“Perfectly fine,” Rei says, his voice a little choked, as Nagisa’s thumb traces over his cheekbone.

“Did I shock you?” Nagisa asks, eyes frantic with concern.

He considers it. Yes, he supposes ‘shock’ is an apt descriptor for what Nagisa has done to him this evening. “Oh yes,” Rei finds himself saying, like he’s in a dream, “Very much so.”

“Oh _no_!” Nagisa wails, looking distraught, “I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

 Rei is perplexed - he hasn’t given any indication that Nagisa had done so, after all. “You,” he says, “Haven’t. Please don’t worry yourself.” And then, because Nagisa still looks guilty, he smiles softly and says, “A mild inconvenience at worst.”

 “You have a really nice smile, you know,” Nagisa says, staring at him, eyes wide and bright like a spotlight. Rei feels illuminated beneath his gaze, like he belongs there, in that endless warm light.

 “Oh?” Rei says, and swallows.

 "You should do it more,” Nagisa tells him, with a resolute nod.

 “I’ll consider it,” promises Rei, and he’s quite in danger of putting that advice into practice immediately when he notices the little lightning-cracks of bright light in Nagisa’s eyes, like he’s going to spark again.

Bizarre, he thinks. Beautiful, he thinks.

“Just,” Rei says, clearing his throat a little, “Allow me to-”

Nagisa’s eyes go from lust-deep to confused when Rei steps back from the wall, smoothly hooking an arm under Nagisa’s thighs. Nagisa lets out a little yelp as his thigh muscles flex with surprise, throwing his arms about Rei’s neck to steady himself, as though Rei would ever drop him, and Rei realises how strong they are, how lithely muscled.

All Rei can think about is using his teeth on them.

Nagisa blinks sharply when he recovers from the shift in position. Then he _giggles,_ high and loud and just a little shrill, and Rei can’t help but smile. “Gonna carry me over the threshold, bat boy?” he teases. Rei realises distantly that he’s now kicking his legs coyly, muscles flexing.

“Oh, honestly,” he replies, quite distracted.

“Such a romantic,” Nagisa coos, as Rei begins to walk.

“Of course,” Rei sniffs, “What else would I be?”

Nagisa beams.

After a mildly inconvenient incident in which Rei almost steers them into the bathroom (‘oh, not in there, there’s a thing- anyway, you’re better off not knowing’), they’re standing in front of the door of Nagisa’s bedroom (painted purple, Rei notes with a nod of approval, runes he cannot decipher scratched into the wood), faced with another mild inconvenience - the crystal doorknob.

“Could you…?” Rei squeezes Nagisa’s thigh demonstratively.

“Oh, yep!” Nagisa chirps brightly, bracing his weight on one arm as he holds a hand out for the doorknob, fingertips outstretched, “Got it!”

“Oh,” Rei says, his voice thin, “Won’t simply turning the knob suffice? Please don’t go to any effort-”

But it is too late - Nagisa’s hand begins to glow yellow. Rei resigns himself to whatever magical madness is about to result as the knob glows in answer.

In the blink of an eye, the crystal has become a fat furry spider, which drops to the wooden floor with a shallow _thump_. Rei certainly does not scream, because he has more dignity than that, and his mouth is fortunately closed, so it comes out as nothing more than a strangled noise.

The spider, however, does scream, and rather loudly at that, as it rears up on its hind legs and runs off, disappearing down the hallway in the direction they’d come from.

“Oh,” Nagisa sighs, sounding a little cross, “Not _again._ ” He then murmurs something that sounds suspiciously like, “ _Hopefully that one can’t sing,”_ but of course he doesn’t murmur that, because that would be madness. He turns to Rei, eyes full of mischief. “Scared of spiders, are you?”

“Of course not,” Rei scoffs, “Don’t be ridiculous. I am an undead spectre of the night.”

Nagisa giggles. “They’re usually not too bad,” he says, “Mostly they just sing really bad Bon Jovi covers.”

Ah. So he hadn’t misheard.

“Anyway!” Nagisa exclaims, voice rippling with a nervous giggle as he kicks out with his foot. Because the doorknob is transmogrified, leaving behind it only a hole in the wood, it swings open easily, “I can deal with that later. Where were we?”

Rei attempts to put the potentially singing doorknob spider out of his mind, because he _is,_ after all, eager for what he intends to occur next. “Might you direct me to the light switch?"

“Wait a second, I can just-”

Rei’s about to protest for fear of more spiders, but then there’s that familiar golden glow again, flashing to life in the dark room for an instant before it splits into pieces and glitters off in streaks. Rei blinks as his eyes adjust to the sudden presence of light in the room, warm and diffused, what has to be at least a hundred candles crowded on every available surface - Nagisa’s desk, his dresser, some littered on the floor in perfect circles -  flickering away. It’s breathtaking, all dancing shadows and wax frozen mid-drip, Nagisa’s sunshine yellow sheets beaming at him from beyond the room in the dim light.

“Much better than the dimmer switch,” Nagisa comments, and Rei finds he has to agree,

Particularly when he glances down at Nagisa and is struck by the way the flickering light cups his cheekbones, makes his eyes gleam.

He feels hands tugging impatiently against the back of his neck. “Come on, bat boy,” he almost whines, “Let’s get naked."

“As though you weren’t mostly naked already,” Rei quips as he walks them over to the bed.

“Hey,” Nagisa says, pouting at him as he extends a leg teasingly - muscles flex, and Rei is captivated, so captivated he almost trips over a pile of what is most likely dirty clothes, or so Rei hopes,  “What are you saying about my shorts?”

“Merely that they are so scant their very existence is debatable.” He sets a laughing Nagisa down on the bed, letting the giggles tickle his ears as he crawls over Nagisa, leaning in.

“You totally love it, though,” Nagisa coos, eyes going half-lidded as his fingers curl in Rei’s collar.

“I might have a fondness for them,” Rei admits, and when Nagisa smiles he lowers his voice and says, “I might be fonder still of them, were they on the floor.”

 _Neatly folded, of course,_ he almost says, but Nagisa’s breathing out a laugh and a soft murmur of _bat boy,_ and then their mouths are pressed together. “Why don’t you do something about it, then?” he whispers against Rei’s lips, and, well, who is Rei to deny him?

Rei might not have magic, but he does have fast fingers, slipping the button of Nagisa’s shorts open even as he licks into his mouth. He doesn’t even have to tug at his belt loops, or pat his thigh - he feels Nagisa arch up off the mattress straight away, feels slim strong hips pressing up against his own, and he sits up, leaving Nagisa space to kick his shorts off and toss them carelessly across the room. Concerned about the potential fire hazard, Rei reluctantly tears his gaze from Nagisa to watch them sail into the laundry basket across the room with quite stunning aim - not neatly folded, it’s true, but it will have to suffice.

His heart would stop if it weren’t already, when he looks back at Nagisa, all compact coiled muscles, toned lines and the dramatic dip of his waist, naked pale skin catching the soft low glow of the candlelight, warm and inescapable, inviting, like he is a harvest moon, and the flickering candles surrounding them are his garden of stars.

Speaking of stars, Nagisa’s underwear, briefs that sit high up on this thighs, and they’re either navy or black, Rei can’t tell in the dim light, completely clashes with the aggressive orange and purple stripes of his long socks. Rei doesn’t even mind, not really, because there’s something so endearing about the stars, embroidered in gold, woven into them - because there’s something so fitting, about loudness and stars, for Nagisa.

“Whatcha starin’ at, bat boy?” As if he didn’t already know, Rei muses, watching him raise his arms above his head so that the muscles tense, lips parting as he arches his back, nudging Rei with a thigh.

“You are a vision,” Rei hears himself saying, and the mischief on Nagisa’s face flickers just like the candlelight does. Then Nagisa’s hooking one of his pretty toned legs around Rei’s waist and pulling him in.

“One moment,” Rei says, stopping him with a hand to his naked chest, voice soft, “I have a request.”

“Hit me,” Nagisa murmurs back.

Rei pauses. “...Why would I do that?”

Nagisa grins, and Rei blinks when he reaches a hand up to tap a finger against his nose. “Don’t worry,” he says, “What’s your request?”

His eyes are curious as Rei touches a finger to the top of his sternum, tracing all the way down, between the valley of his chest, the hard lines of his abs, past the swell and V of his hips. He can feel the whispery little shiver fissure down from Nagisa’s shoulders when he traces his fingers across to the soft, vulnerable skin of Nagisa’s inner thigh.

“There is an artery,” he says, softly, pressing down, “Here.”

Nagisa stares at him. His eyes are sudden darkness. “Oh.” His voice is deliberate. He licks his lips. “Yes.”

“You’ve recovered,” Rei asks, with a flicker of concern, “From before?”

“Fuck yes,” Nagisa says, and Rei, being what he is, can _feel_ his pulse hum with excitement beneath his finger, “Do it.” Nagisa’s thumb brushes against his lip. “Eat me.”

And, crass as it is, Rei can’t help but feel a little seduced. He lets out a low hiss, unable to miss the way it makes Nagisa shiver again, and bares his fangs, another shiver, and then he lunges forward, open-mouthed, all tongue and calculated scrapes of his teeth, Nagisa moaning against his mouth at the sharpness. Rei smirks softly when he feels fingers threading into his hair, squeezing, pulling, pushing, down. He’s never had anyone so willing before.

“Come _on_ ,” Nagisa hisses at him, and Rei can tell it’s a challenge, so he prowls further down, biting Nagisa’s jaw, his neck, his collarbone, not hard enough to draw blood, not yet, just telling red marks that make Nagisa gasp, his round little hips jumping with each one, pressing up against Rei. The sweetest little moan spills from his lips when Rei bites down on his hipbone, pulling up a little to suck, hard, not hard enough to tear through, but he can almost taste the blood being sucked to the surface beneath Nagisa’s pretty skin, and it’s such a tease for Rei, almost _almost_ being able to taste the blood he’s starving for, the thought of leaving flourishing purple bruises on him.

He feels Nagisa tense when he moves down, almost skimming the stark outline of his cock in his underwear, before he settles between his milky thighs. He’s so close, senses so sharp with hunger, sight wolven, that he can see the artery jumping in minute pulses beneath his skin, and all at once, he is overcome, and he couldn’t stop himself lunging forward and sinking his fangs into that delectable pulse, even if he wanted to.

“Oh, _oh-!”_ Nagisa’s voice is a syrupy surprised moan when Rei’s teeth tear through his skin, and Rei moans with him, low and throaty, when warm slick blood bursts into his mouth. It’s always sweeter down here, somehow, so easy to suck and suck until he’s mindless, until he’s a monster with no capacity to do anything else but want, want to feed, want pleasure. He sucks and swallows, sudden ravenousness crowding out any semblance of rational thought - Nagisa gives and he takes, a creature of greed and lust, and he wants to drag Nagisa down with him, make him a beast, too, something twisted and wrong.

He reaches a hand out, glancing up in surprise when it bumps against something, something warm. Nagisa’s hand. Nagisa touching himself like Rei had been going to, rubbing at himself through his underwear, hips working.

“Haha,” Nagisa laughs, soft, and the delirium from before is back, his eyes wild, “Awkward.” He is panting. “Is this fucked up? This is probably fucked up, right?”

Rei forces himself to take a final swallow - forces, because if he doesn’t stop now, he’ll follow Nagisa into senseless delirium, and he’s not sure if he _can_ stop, when it’s like that, when Rei’s already beginning to lose himself. “I like it,” he rasps out, beginning to lick like some starving kit at the blood that had trickled from his lips.

“I like _you,”_ Nagisa says, staring down at him. He stops working himself. Rei doesn’t know if he’s thankful or not.

“So you’ve said,” Rei says. He pauses in his licking. “I suppose I like you, too, at that.”

“Oh, _bat boy,”_ croons Nagisa. He tips his head back, then, letting out a soft sigh as Rei finishes lapping up what he’d spilled.

For a moment, the first moment, Rei suspects, since they’d met, there is silence.

“So.”

Rei glances up. Nagisa’s eyes are sparkling.

“Is blood the only thing you’re good at sucking, bat boy?” His voice is a teasing whisper.

Rei can’t help the faint smirk. He straightens his shoulders, reaching up to smoothly detach his monocle from his cloak, leaning over to place it on the night stand. He’s already had one piece of his property wantonly destroyed - the last thing he wants is for his monocle to meet the same fate through some sex-related misadventure. That taken care of, he press his palm to the flat of Nagisa’s stomach, noting the faint shiver with pleasure.

“As a matter of fact.” He tucks his finger under the waistband of Nagisa’s underwear. He tugs them down, eyes going wide when Nagisa’s cock springs free, all pink and pleasingly flushed and desperately slick, the aftereffects of Rei’s venom making him wetter and harder than he would be. He rakes the trail of his gaze up Nagisa’s body, looking him in the eye as he takes him into his hand, as he bares his teeth, retracts his fangs ( _‘oh’_ Nagisa breathes, with a shiver) and then he moves, sucks the dripping head of Nagisa’s cock into his mouth. The taste mixes with the residue of blood in his mouth, and Rei lets his eyes slip shut with a soft moan.

“Ha _ha_ ,” Nagisa gasps out. His eyes widen, widen, keep widening until they’re almost impossibly huge, until Rei feels him nudging up against the back of his throat, “Oh, wow _,_ _wow, holy fuck-”_

Rei is anything but holy, of course, but he appreciates the compliment.The way Nagisa’s looking at him, like he’s just seen a ( _ugh_ ) ghost, is even more flattering.

“That’s so _weird,”_ Nagisa breathes, eyes wide, reaching a hand up to push his bangs from his eyes, “Your mouth is, like, cool.”

Rei lets out a contented hum.

“You are _so,”_ Nagisa moans, bordering on a sob, “Hot.”

Rei pulls off with a wet slick sound. “Eleven degrees,” he reminds him, wondering if Nagisa might be running a fever, if he _has_ taken too much.

“Oh my _god_ ,” Nagisa groans, and Rei’s about to ask him what the matter is, but then fingers are curling in his hair, tugging just a little, and Rei just shrugs and lets himself be pushed back onto Nagisa’s cock, because whatever it was, it can’t have been of terribly drastic import.

He tries to pull back, start a sucking rhythm, but Nagisa’s hands keep him in place, lips stretched around his cock. He raises his gaze up to give Nagisa a curious look.

Nagisa, suddenly, looks faintly bashful. “Can I,” he says.

Rei blinks, waiting for him to continue. Nagisa is extraordinarily lucky that Rei, being an undead spectre of the night, has no need to breathe.

“Like.” He lets out a frustrated little noise, brow creasing. “I don’t know how to say this like I’m some science textbook from like 1705.”

Rei is about to push his hands away and give him a stern talking-to for being so disrespectful, but then it occurs to him that Nagisa may be referring to his unquestionable intelligence. He’s quite distracted the next second, when Nagisa bucks his hips up, sliding the tip of his cock, smooth, fluid, into Rei’s willing throat.

“Like that?” Nagisa says, cheeks flushed, eyes wild.

 _Ah,_ Rei thinks, comprehending. He pats Nagisa’s thigh reassuringly - _as you will._

“Yay,” Nagisa breathes, “Stop me if I’m being too rough, okay?”

Rei shivers. He thinks he quite likes the implications of that statement. He swallows in answer, hard and deep, sinking _all. the way. down,_  tearing a choked, whining _oh fuck_ from Nagisa’s throat as he throws his head back, blonde curls licking out and catching the flickering light as he thrusts, hard and slick, all the way into Rei’s throat, his nose buried in blonde.

He lets himself be trapped in place, partially by Nagisa’s hands, fingernails tearing and messing his hair, but mostly by his eyes, all chaotic luminosity, predatory in a gentle, creeping way that makes Rei luxuriate in being laid out prone on his soft underbelly, shackled by fingertips, thumbs rubbing circles into his scalp, saliva slicking down his jaw. Nagisa never stops looking at him - his eyes flicker, focused on Rei’s mouth as he fucks it in a steady, teasing pace, flicking back up Rei’s eyes for brief, gasping moments. Not needing to breathe, not even remembering quite how to, Rei is fluid, measured, in the constant suck-swallow rhythm, eyelids flickering half shut with satisfaction every time Nagisa moans, long and deep, every time Nagisa’s cock hits the back of his throat, messy wet noises cutting through the air of the room. 

“Ohhhh _ah fuck,”_ Nagisa grits out, with an especially hard thrust that makes Rei dig his nails into the lithe flesh of Nagisa’s thighs, “ _Uhnnn-_ you’re way, _way_ too good at this, is this- _ah-_ something all of you vampires are good at, oh fuck, your **_mouth-”_**

He babbles like that, voice trembling, _thighs_ trembling around Rei’s ears, until his voice tapers off into hitching, wretched little moans that Rei finds almost as endearing as his incoherent stream of sex-drenched vulgar platitudes. He lets out a contented hum, lets it ring for longer when Nagisa lets out a low moan, yanking Rei’s head down by the hair so hard Rei can’t help but swallow in surprise. Nagisa gasps, eyes flying wide and _burning,_ like cigarette embers but softer, more electric, lips parted around wheezing laboured breathing, and Rei hums again, slipping into a rendition of _Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß_ that takes place entirely in the back of his throat, far too gravelly and lacking the nuance but perhaps not the passion (and Rei suspects that Nagisa isn’t familiar enough with seminal German opera to be disappointed in him, regardless).

“Oh god, fuck _, fuck,”_ Nagisa murmurs, his voice fast and frantic, fast as he’s pushing Rei’s mouth down on his cock again and again, frantic as the stuttering movement of his hips, rhythm faltering, “What’re you- oh fuck it, _uhn, god-”_

Rei digs his nails into Nagisa’s thigh, making him yelp, making his grip on his hair slacken. Rei takes the moment to pull up, with a prim lick of his lips. He tastes warm saltiness on them, and has to bite back a shiver.

“ _Dooon’t,”_ Nagisa whines, looking as though he’s on the verge of angry tears, “Be a _fuckhead._ ”

“I thought I might like to taste you,” Rei says, quite reasonably, despite the fact that his voice sounds like he’s been busily swallowing razorblades.

There’s a beat. Nagisa breathes. Rei wonders if he hasn’t heard him, or if he’s merely been broken by Rei’s superior oral sex capabilities.

“You’re not a fuckhead,” Nagisa says, in a small voice, “You’re awesome.”

“Yes, well,” Rei sniffs, mostly in jest, “If we might resume?”

“Fuck yes,” Nagisa says, breathy and exhilarated, and the hand on his head is gentler when it loses itself in Rei’s hair this time, gentler still when he guides Rei’s lips back to his cock, flushed, wet, red. Rei presses a kiss to it, letting the slick stickiness smear across his lips, letting out a soft, pleased noise at the taste. Nagisa lets out a shaky breath when Rei parts his lips, lets his tongue give a teasing flick at the slit before he closes his lips over the head, sucking deep, like he’s been starving for weeks and this, for him, is survival.

He can scarcely believe how gentle Nagisa’s fingers are now, one hand playing with his hair, the other skimming across his cheekbone, settling on Rei’s jawbone. Nagisa is close, all desperate hitching panting and slim trembling thighs, and his eyes might even be flickering in the dark, Rei can’t tell, not quickly enough, before they flutter shut, long lashes skimming his cheeks.

“ _Ohhhhh,”_ he breathes, “Oh, _oh, Rei-”_

And something about the use of Rei’s name - his _actual_ name, not bat boy - pushes him. He slips down again, taking all of Nagisa in once, twice, a final time, pulling up mid-swallow as he feels Nagisa _shudder_ all desperate, a high whining mewl trickling from his lips as his eyes snap open and unseeing with overstimulation, hips working. It’s easy for Rei to pin his hips down - he wants everything Nagisa has to give him, all spread across his tongue, and he swallows, steady and rhythmic, until Nagisa’s staccato little mewls shiver away into nothing but rapid shallow breathing, until his eyes come back into focus, and Rei feels warm beneath it.

Nagisa stares, for a moment. Rei is transfixed.

He is then promptly alarmed when Nagisa begins to _giggle,_ shoulders shivering as his hips had when he’d come, and then he _laughs,_ high and loud and sweet, and collapses back onto the mattress with a shallow bouncing thud, hands flying up to cover his face.

“I’m _sorry_ ,” he gasps between giggles, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, hahaha-”

“It’s the neuropeptides,” Rei informs him, just a touch smug, perhaps, and why shouldn’t he be, after rendering Nagisa a shivering puddle of high squeaky giggles with nothing more than his mouth.

Virgin, _indeed_.

Rei’s words just seem to make Nagisa laugh harder, curling up on his side facing Rei, legs kicked out, a hand over his mouth. Rei reaches a hand out before he knows what he’s doing. When he realises what he is, in fact, doing, it hovers awkwardly in the air over Nagisa’s shoulder for a long moment, before he pats it stiffly. Rei stiffens himself when Nagisa leans his slim shoulders into the touch - but then, he thinks, who is he to deny the invitation?

He lets his hand trail down, skimming the line of Nagisa’s shoulders, over the elegant muscles of his bicep, before he slips his hand down to trace his nails down the dipping valley of Nagisa’s waist. Nagisa lets out a soft hum, then another giggle, softer this time, when Rei brushes his fingertips _just_ over the spot where his waist bleeds out into his hips, and Rei does it again, making Nagisa crinkle his nose and half-bury his face into the pillow.

“That’s nice,” he murmurs, peering up at Rei with his one visible eye.

“Is it,” Rei replies easily, settling back to rake his fingertips rhythmically down and up the curve of Nagisa’s waist, over and over again.

“Mmmmm,” Nagisa hums, and then his eyes flutter shut, and Rei can feel a smile creeping over his face.

“You know,” Nagisa informs him after a moment, almost sleepily, his eyes opening half-lidded with content, and Rei can almost picture his ribcage rumbling with deep, satisfied purrs, “You’re not nearly as stuffy and boring as you make yourself look.”

Rei merely raises his eyebrows. He keeps his fingers moving, back and forth, back and forth.

“I’m being nice,” Nagisa informs him, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“You have a peculiar manner of being ‘nice’,” Rei replies. He considers it. “But then I suppose you _are_ peculiar, at that.”

A sleepy grin. “Now _you’re_ being nice,” he says, softly.

“I try,” Rei says, modestly, and then, perhaps not so modestly, but it is called for, he thinks, given the situation, “ _And_ succeed.”

“Are we talking about the blowjob now?”

“Perhaps.”

“Don’t get too cocky, bat boy,” says Nagisa, eyebrow quirking, “Sparks didn’t even fly.”

“Yet,” Rei replies, neatly, and then suddenly, he doesn’t know quite how it happens, he has a lap full of Nagisa, dark-eyed, still flushed, lips and tongues melding together, making Rei shiver.

He suspects magic.

“Strip, bat boy,” Nagisa orders, and Rei is eager to comply - his cape is weighing quite heavily on his shoulders.

He intends to put on a show, all smooth and slow, eyes fixed on Nagisa as he seductively sheds layers of clothing in a precise and rhythmic manner. He’s barely unhooked the first silver fastening, when Nagisa lunges forward, impatiently tugging at his cape with no respect for what an ordeal it had been to seek out such a rare and stylish wardrobe essential. Nagisa tosses it across the room and Rei watches, transfixed with horror, fearful that it will meet the same cruel fate as his late cravat, but somehow it floats across to Nagisa’s desk chair and lands gracefully without incident. Rei is quite impressed by that, if he’s honest.

Nagisa starts to work on his waistcoat, lithe fingers undoing his buttons one at a time and Rei is startled by how _alert_ he is.

“This is gonna take forever,”Nagisa says. “I know this really good spell that could-”

“No,” Rei says, “Don’t you _dare_.”

“But do you really need six hundred buttons?” Nagisa whines.

“There are only twelve,” Rei says, “That’s a perfectly reasonable amount.”

Nagisa pouts when he peels off the waistcoat to reveal Rei’s white dress shirt, fastened all the way up to his neck. He becomes impatient after approximately three seconds of unfastening and tugs at the shirt roughly, sending two delicate buttons hurling across the room. Rei gasps, appalled.

“ _Oops,_ ” says Nagisa, with a giggle that is simultaneously irritating and adorable.

“Is it your aim for me to leave your house with _none_ of my clothing left intact?”  Rei scowls.

“It’s my aim to get you naked at some point this century,” fires back Nagisa, “But I guess that’s impossible!”

“ _Honestly_ ,” Rei says, when Nagisa growls in frustration at the sight of his suspenders and undershirt.

“Why do you need so many _layers_?” he whimpers, looking as though he might just burst into tears.

Rei climbs off the bed. It takes him seconds to elegantly remove the rest of his clothes and only a further minute to fold them. “Was that so difficult?” He stands with his hands on his hips, in nothing but his soft luxurious briefs. He’s pleased that he decided to wear such a flattering shade of dark red. Nagisa too looks quite delighted.

“Whoa,” Nagisa croaks, voice cracking. His eyes are wide as they roam across Rei’s body and his cheeks are pleasantly flushed. Rei feels powerful, standing tall in the flickering light, muscles tensed appropriately to maximise visual and aesthetic appeal. He waits for Nagisa to catch his breath.

“Look at _you_ ,” Nagisa says, giggling softly. “Not bad for a dead guy!”

“Undead,” Rei corrects him, “An undead spectre of the night, if you wish to be more precise.”

“Hey, shh for a minute,” Nagisa says, voice light and teasing. “I need a moment alone with your abs.”

Rei swells with pride. He _does_ work out, and he can’t blame Nagisa for noticing. He’s about to launch into a speech about how more of his kind should appreciate that a lack of reflection is no excuse an unkempt appearance, but Nagisa meets his eyes, gaze bright and warm.

“Um,” Nagisa says, soft and almost shy, “You’re actually really beautiful.”

A soft choked sound catches in the back of Rei’s throat. He feels like his heart might burst. His heart can’t even _beat_.

Of course, Nagisa proceeds to say, “You’re way too hot to be covering yourself up with all of those stuffy dorky layers.”

“‘Dorky’,” repeats Rei, icily.

Nagisa beams. “In the best possible way!”

Rei sighs and rolls his eyes.

“Come lie down?” Nagisa says, patting the bed next to him.

Rei stretches out on the bed, lets his eyes flutter closed as Nagisa traces fingers over his chest, down his ribs, across the abdominal muscles he’s so fond of. When he presses his palms flat against Rei’s thighs, he shivers.

“You know, there’s this great warming charm that could-”

Rei’s eyes snap open. “No.”

“But, you’re so cold,” Nagisa says, looking genuinely concerned. “Let me warm you up!”

Rei almost points out that he’s still traumatised from last time Nagisa had ‘warmed him up’, but he’s somewhat distracted by Nagisa’s fingers, creeping soft along his inner thighs. In keeping with the mood, he offers a subtle arch of his hips. A coy smile. An, “If you insist.”

“ _Oh,_ ” Nagisa says, a wolfish grin spreading over his face. “Feeling left out?”

“T-That’s,” Rei begins, hips jerking up more obviously this time when Nagisa brushes the sensitive skin just above his waistband. “Um.”

“How does this even work?” Nagisa asks, eyes shining with curiosity, gaze fixed pointedly on Rei’s nether region.

“Well,” Rei says, voice strained, “A vampire’s body actually functions-”

“Is it magic?”

“Certainly not. It’s-”

“Then it’s superpowers, right?”

Rei is about to launch into a detailed explanation of the thorough research he has conducted on vampire biology and evolution, but when he goes to adjust his monocle it’s not there, and that throws him off, just for a moment. He is equally taken aback when Nagisa presses his palm against Rei’s cock and moves his hand, rubbing so Rei can feel the heat, even through the fabric of his underwear. Rei moans, soft and low, he can’t help himself. He hooks his fingers in the side of his briefs, eager to push them out of the way.

“Let me do it,” Nagisa scolds, tapping Rei’s hand away. Rei would be all too happy to allow Nagisa the honour, but he seems too preoccupied with teasing. Rei huffs in frustration.  Nagisa’s hard and dripping once again. Rei’s venom really _is_ potent. It’s too tempting to ignore, though Rei’s throat still feels raw from previous activities, it wouldn’t hurt just to use his hand a little -

“ _Bat boy_ ,” Nagisa warns, pushing his hand away. “Don’t make me tie you up.”

And perhaps it was suggested with humorous intention, but the very thought sends a jolt to Rei’s cock, he can’t help but shudder at the implication. And given where Nagisa’s hand is currently resting, he can’t exactly disguise this reaction.

“ _Ohhh,_ ” Nagisa croons, baring his teeth in a sweet smile, “Would you _like_ that?”

Rei can neither deny nor confirm that he’d enjoy it. He wouldn’t usually partake in such activities, but he _does_ have needs. Rei may be undead but his brain still surges with hormones at the thought of engaging in particularly pleasant intercourse.

“Just to clarify,” Rei says, cautiously, “Will there be any fire involved?”

“Hardly ever happens!” Nagisa chirps.

“Hardly... _ever_?” Rei repeats as a long scarf floats through the air, twining towards the bed.

“A-Ah,” he splutters, as the lime green material starts to wind its way around his wrist like a friendly python saying hello.

“This is so exciting,” Nagisa beams,“I’ve always wanted to tie up a vampire!”

A second scarf zips across the room, soft lilac polka dot print this time. Rei’s arm is pulled gently over his head and moments later he glances up and discovers that he is attached, quite firmly, to the headboard.

“Q-Quite a lovely scarf collection,” Rei stammers, tugging his arm experimentally. The soft material feels silky against his skin, and the colours are visually pleasing, harmonious.

“Thanks!”

“Yes, it’s just that I’m rather - _ah_ -” the second scarf brushes over his ankles, “ _Concerned,_ ” he admits, bending his arm so Nagisa can see the flex of his muscles. “That I might cause them damage _._ ”

“How considerate!” Nagisa chirps, eyes lighting on Rei’s bicep and glittering.

 _Some people are_ , Rei almost says, dwelling in memories of his tattered cravat.

“I was actually kind of hoping you’d say that,” Nagisa grins, and the scarves begin to uncoil and retreat with just a flick of his hand.

Rei hears a drawer slide open. When he turns his head, he sees ropes, thick and tough yet elegant in glossy ink-black, snaking through the air. _Interesting_ , Rei thinks, mouth dry. When he swallows, thick and nervous, he’s sure it’s audible.

When he glances back at Nagisa, his eyes are glowing faintly in the low light. It must be the magic, because he’s never seen eyes like that before, soothing and mesmerising, such a vivid shade of magenta. Rei would quite like to blow out all of the candles and see how they look in the dark.

Out of scientific curiosity, of course. It’s not like he’s transfixed by how beautiful they look or anything of that nature.

“You’re staring,” trills Nagisa.

“Oh,” says Rei, a little panicked, “No, _no_ , I’m-”

“It’s fine,” Nagisa purrs, “You’re easier to tie up this way.”

Rei shifts his gaze to discover that, sure enough, during his distraction, both of his wrists had been tugged above his head, and he’s now affixed roughly to the bedposts by stunningly intricate knots. He attempts to move, but the rope is much too strong, even with his superior strength.

This is dangerous. He barely knows Nagisa, and here he is, allowing himself to be bound, captive. Rei is trembling, but it’s not his nerves.

Nagisa looks far too proud of himself, glowing eyes dimming as he lowers his hands, a smirk tugging at his lips. He seems quite content to sit and stare, so Rei arches up his hips as a visual reminder - he’s still aching and he’d like to be touched promptly, if you please.  Nagisa drags his blunt nails up Rei’s thigh, stopping when he reaches his hips.

“You’re so pretty,” Nagisa hums, climbing over Rei, straddling his legs.

He leans down low, pulse leaping with excitement again, and Rei can see the tiny pink marks on his neck from where he fed earlier, barely visible now, almost fully healed. Rei strains his neck up to press his lips against it, but Nagisa darts back, just out of reach, and Rei’s not sure he likes that sly smirk on his lips.

Nagisa leans in again, hot breath across his lips this time, and Rei wants to make that breath hitch, twist fingers in his hair, and maybe nick his lip with his fang, just once more little taste, because he’s insatiable, it seems, when it comes to Nagisa. He darts back again and this time Rei bares his fangs and hisses, tugging against the restraints as Nagisa giggles, mischief glinting in his eyes.

“ _Please_ ,” says Rei, in a manner that is certainly more polite than needy.  

Nagisa slithers down his body so he’s lying on his belly, mouth tantalisingly close to Rei’s cock and then he finally, _finally_ slides off his underwear. Rei groans in relief when he’s all exposed, when Nagisa’s hot breath is ghosting across his cool skin.

“Oh my _god,”_ he says, turning his heated gaze towards  Rei, looking positively thrilled.

And then Nagisa sinks his teeth into Rei’s inner thigh, sucking hard at the skin and _that’s unusual,_ Rei can’t recall being bitten before, _he’s_ the one that does the biting. It’s not unpleasant and Rei moans despite himself, wishing he could lace his fingers through Nagisa’s hair and guide him, rough and insistent towards his neglected cock.

As though he can read minds (and Rei does hope he can’t read minds), Nagisa sweeps his hot fingers up the length of Rei’s cock, acknowledging he’s hard and dripping, touch light and teasing and still not enough. Rei rocks into his hand, seeking out a firmer touch, whining in frustration when Nagisa pulls back before Rei can seek out any friction.  

“ _You_ ,” Rei grits out.

“Hmm?” Nagisa smiles sweetly.

“Stop. That,” he growls.

“ _Oh_ ,” says Nagisa.

He sits back, resting quite uncomfortably on Rei’s calves, a little pout spreading across his face. The ropes around Rei’s wrist start to unravel. It’s somewhat disappointing - Rei had gotten quite used to being bound.

“What-” Rei says, “Oh. I didn’t-”

Nagisa grabs his shoulders and tugs him up, and he’s in Rei’s lap again, sitting on his thighs, tongue licking into his mouth in a messy kiss. When Rei tries to sneak his hands down Nagisa’s spine, his small hands grip hold of Rei’s wrists, pushing them behind his back.

Nagisa pulls back from the kiss and grins as the ropes snake off the headboard and coil around Rei’s wrists and up his arms, pinning them together behind his back. Rei strains his neck, but he can’t quite see what is happening. He presumes they are arranging a series of complex knots, by the time it’s taking, by the way it _feels,_ it seems that they’re forming some kind of harness.Nagisa’s eyes are sparking again, tiny flecks of gold scattering down his cheeks, landing warm and ticklish against Rei’s bare thighs.

Rei shudders as he pulls against the rope. It’s tight and restricting and desperately hot.

“And what,” Rei asks, “Was the purpose of that?”

“It looks prettier,” shrugs Nagisa, leaning forward to appreciate his own handiwork. “Nice contrast. With your skin, and all.”

Rei feels a smile tugging on his lips. Finally, someone who appreciates his personal sense of aesthetics.

Nagisa smiles back sweetly.  “Get on your knees, bat boy.”

Rei shivers. He doesn’t object, he’s perfectly willing to comply, but it’s somewhat challenging to shift position without having use of his hands. Fortunately, Rei has powerful thigh muscles and outstanding core strength, or else it might actually be difficult to flip himself over gracefully so he’s on his knees, back straight, abs tensed, as though he’s on all fours.

Nagisa makes a low sound that’s practically a purr and it’s embarrassing for a fearsome vampire like Rei, to present himself in this manner, all bent over and exposed. Embarrassing and, yes, Rei will admit, completely electrifying. He licks his lips as Nagisa prowls over him, pressing up against Rei, scattering kisses up Rei’s neck, licking teasingly at the shell of his ear. Rei shudders at a hard nip of teeth.

“My turn to request something,” Nagisa murmurs, all soft and sensuous against Rei’s ear.

“...Go on,” says Rei, voice strangled.

“So remember when I was like, ‘hey, wanna ride my broomstick?’”

“Yes,” Rei sighs, somewhat impatient, “And as I mentioned, I have no need for-“

“No,” says Nagisa, “Here’s the thing. I don’t actually _have_ a broomstick.”

Rei blinks, utterly baffled. He’s not sure if it’s an appropriate time to be discussing whether Nagisa adheres to stereotypical witch-like behaviour, not when his abs are starting to tremble from the strain of keeping his back straight. Nagisa flops down onto the bed so he can stare up at Rei, all wide-eyed and mischievous.

“So when I said _broomstick_ ,” Nagisa says, slowly, like he’s talking to someone unintelligent, unrefined, “I actually meant like - _you know_ ,” he gestures down to his erection and wiggles his eyebrows in a particularly lewd manner.

Rei crinkles his nose in distaste. It’s not that he’s objectively against the notion, it’s just that he’s a traditionalist, a firm believer that there are ways of r _omantically_ asking someone to engage in intercourse, and pointing towards your own genitals is tacky and vulgar and _certainly not_ one of them.

“You don’t wanna?” Nagisa pouts.

“Perhaps I could be persuaded. If you ask politely,” Rei sniffs.

“Then wanna fuck?”

“ _Politely,_ ” Rei repeats.

“Okay, then how about - you’re like the hottest guy I’ve _ever_ met, even if you are dead or whatever, and I wanna make you feel _so good_ that you’ll remember tonight like a _thousand years_ from now.” He pauses. He bats his eyelashes, and he is every inch as coquettish as Rei suspects he intends to be. “I wanna blow your mind so hard you’ll jerk it to my memory long after I’m dead.”

Another pause. Rei stares at him. Nagisa smiles winningly.

“Please?” Another bat of his eyelashes.

Rei’s eyes are wide as he gazes down at Nagisa. He’s so charming, in his own vulgar way, that Rei can’t help but be moved by his words. He nods - _acceptable._

Nagisa twists his body to reach under the bed, resurfacing with lubricant and a wicked grin. He moves back down the bed, behind Rei, out of his line of vision, and Rei cranes his neck to gaze at the arch of his pale body, his nimble fingers fumbling with the cap of the bottle. If Rei’s heart could beat it would be pounding out of his chest. His whole body’s trembling in anticipation, muscles straining, cock aching painfully to be touched.

“Please,” he growls, as Nagisa teases a finger over his entrance, “Plea- _ahhn!”_  

He moans loud and open-mouthed when the first slick finger slips inside and it’s been _so long_ , it’s been _decades_ since he’s been touched like this. He arches his back, and he’s shaking, _shaking,_ desperate for more.

He wishes for a moment that his hands weren’t bound, because he needs to muffle the humiliating whines that are slipping from his mouth _somehow_. He tries biting his lip but he’s still too loud, all that noise from just one finger. His muscles are trembling hard now, and it’s too much, he has to give in, upper body collapsing forward, face pressed down into the pillow.

It’s two fingers now, spreading him open, finding a rhythm that’s deliberate, commanding. Rei buries his face into the pillow, teeth gritted, body tense, and he’s terrified if he so much as _glances_ at Nagisa he’ll fall apart, surrender to something shameful like whimpering, _begging_. And he would beg, if not for his pride, because he’s _dying_ for a hand around his cock, needs to be touched so much that he twists his arms against the beautifully intricate knots as Nagisa twists fingers inside of him, skin so hot it _scorches._

Rei clenches his hands into fists, neatly manicured nails digging into his palms as he writhes back against Nagisa, fighting the urge to do something wretched, to drop his hips down onto the bed and rub off against the sheets like a mindless animal.  

Nagisa’s fingers are so _deep_ , edging sharp against that spot that makes Rei’s spine liquify with pleasure. Nagisa leans forward, his other hand combing soothing and sweet through Rei’s hair - not that it’ll make a difference, the style was ruined long ago.

“I think,” Rei stammers “That should be satisfa- _ahh_ ctory.”

“Hmm?” Nagisa says, crooking his fingers again.

“What I mean is,” Rei says, choked, “I’m now well prepared, if you’d care to,” he winces, “ _Fuck me_.”

And it does feel wrong, degrading himself using such vulgar language, only it _has_ been a while, and he’d rather like to proceed in a timely manner.

As predicted, using such an undignified phrase is incredibly successful with Nagisa. Rei feels him gasp as he pulls out his fingers in a way that makes Rei shudder. When Rei turns his head he finds Nagisa hanging off the side of the bed, fumbling around underneath it, blonde curls bouncing far too close to a nearby candle for Rei’s liking.

“I know they’re here _somewhere,”_ he’s muttering under his breath.

“Nagisa,” Rei says, quite patiently, given the circumstances,“You are aware that I’m a vampire.”

“Yeah,” Nagisa says, sounding distracted, “You’ve mentioned it. Undead ghost of Christmas past or whatever.”

Rei will make certain Nagisa memorises his correct title at a later date, because referring to him as a ghost of all things makes him wrinkle his nose - ghosts are the pigeons of the supernatural community, and Rei shudders at being likened to them. He feels that education can wait, however - perhaps when he’s not lying face down on the bed with his rear in the air and his hands bound.

Nagisa fumbles around a little more, hurling a few strange looking objects - a compass, something that looks suspiciously like a petrified scorpion - across the room, until suddenly he springs up, eyes bright.

 _“Oh,”_ he says, “Wait, do you mean-”

Rei crooks an eyebrow. “Proceed,” he says.

“Yeah, sure, um - okay,” Nagisa says, and slight though it is, Rei hears the tremor in his voice.

Nagisa moves slowly behind Rei, shifting into position and there’s something unnerving, something _thrilling_ about the anticipation, about allowing Nagisa to take control, when Rei is so used to being the one that leads the way. He can’t do anything but dig his teeth into his bottom lip and wait out that long agonising moment that, in reality, probably only last seconds.

“You look really good like this,” Nagisa whispers, hands ghosting up Rei’s sides, tickling a little.

When Nagisa does make contact, he teases - _of course_ he teases _-_ rubbing the slick head of his cock over Rei’s entrance, pressing lightly against it without exerting any pressure, and Rei’s teeth grit with frustration because he’s tired of this game, he’s waited long enough and he can’t stand any more teasing, any more delay.

“ _Nagisa,”_ Rei growls.

And just like that, Nagisa’s hips rock forward, pushing in slowly, and then he’s in, properly, all the way, so deep that Nagisa’s rattling off words incoherently - “fuck, fuck, _ahh-_ wow, _fuck”_ \- and Rei’s moaning, sinking his teeth into his lower lip.

He thrusts slow and shallow, and then _finally_ Nagisa takes Rei’s neglected cock into his hand and tugs hard, and Rei is certain that someone lacking his maturity and expertise would come instantly, just from the pure _intensity_.

“F-feels weird,” gasps Nagisa, “Like your mouth.”

Nagisa leans over Rei, teeth grazing against his shoulder, and every inch of his skin, every place they touch - his thighs, his tongue, his _cock_ , feels scorching - so hot it _burns_ \- and it’s funny, Rei thinks, half-delirious, that it’s not even the first time that Nagisa has set him on fire.

“So hot,” he whines.

“Thanks,” Nagisa breathes back, “You should see yourself.”

Rei’s about to respond, but Nagisa lets out a shallow breath as he snaps his hips forward, driving so hard into Rei a desperate, wholly embarrassing moan startles from his lips.

“ _Oh_ ,” Nagisa purrs, “You want me to fuck you hard, bat boy?” Rei squeezes his eyes shut as Nagisa pulls out with a slick dirty sound - they fly open again when Nagisa fucks back into him, this time grabbing Rei by the hips and yanking him back like he’s a flimsy ragdoll, slamming so deep inside that Rei almost tastes the shudder blazing up his spine. “I think you _do.”_ There’s a peculiar seductive music to his voice, stoking something animalistic in Rei’s belly, and he lets out a strangled groan, deep in his throat.

“ _Good,”_ Nagisa hums, and there’s a hand planted heavy and hard on his back, forcing his shoulders down and his back to arch, one hand scraping punishingly against his hip, blunt nails, burning streaks. Rei lets out a loud shuddering keening noise, mouth dropping open helplessly when Nagisa pushes inside again. “Yeah, that’s it, nice and loud, bat boy, let me hear you, c’mon-”

Rei gives into it, lets Nagisa use him, settling into a steady heavy rhythm of fucking him open, lets hedonistic desire cloud his mind so much he forgets he’s a dignified, impeccably dressed individual who prides himself on propriety, gives himself over to shameless moaning, nails scraping against his own bound palms, screwing his eyes shut as Nagisa slams into him, over and over again.

“ _Ohhhh-!”_ he whimpers, when a particularly hard thrust coincides with Nagisa’s hand gripping his cock roughly again, “ _Nagisa-!”_

“So noisy,” Nagisa rasps out, and then there are teeth scraping against his shoulder blade, stinging and wanton, Rei moaning sharply with every sharp wet stroke of his fist, “ _So_ noisy, your voice is so pretty when you’re desperate for it-” His own voice ripples and stutters every time he presses into Rei, and the satisfaction Rei gets from that alone, from the thought that _he’s_ making Nagisa unravel like that, is almost, _almost_ enough.

It stops being enough when Nagisa pulls out entirely, hands tracing down Rei’s sides again, bumping over the raised edges of the elaborate rope harness. Rei lets out a sound of loss, pressing his forehead into the mattress, because he’d _almost_ -

“Shhhh,” Nagisa soothes from above him, fingers digging into Rei’s hips. His head spins when his world flips, and suddenly he’s on his back, staring up at Nagisa, Nagisa, whose eyes are blazing, face painted in a pretty flush, lips rosy and parted all perfect and wet, drinking him in with his gaze. Rei’s hands and arms are wedged uncomfortably under his back, biceps burning with the awkward angle, and he couldn’t care _less,_ because Nagisa is beautiful, all undone with a shimmer sweat-sheen dusted across his skin, and Rei would say it, but his tongue feels clumsy, and he’s being filled with that burning hot weight again, anyway. Nagisa’s eyes burn him, too, as he stares down at him, making Rei blink when he traces soft fingertips over his parted lips.

“You like this,” he says, voice croaky, shoulders hitching, tugging on the web of ropes with one hand, rough enough to jerk Rei’s hips up, sinking him deeper, hotter, making Rei mewl, “Being like this. Don’t you, Rei?”

And rather than respond with words, Rei shows off his teeth, letting his fangs extend to their rightful place, exposing himself fully, everything he is, dark creature of lust and need that he is. It’s not a threat - it’s an invitation. Nagisa lets out a rapturous little moan, twisting his wrist so he can scrape the pad of his index finger against the sharp edges, and Rei can’t help himself - he bites down, locking his jaw into place, eyelids flickering with pleasure when the by-now familiar almost-syrupy taste of Nagisa’s blood hits his tongue. It’s so little, barely more than a bead, but Rei is such a slave to it that it’s enough to make him shudder, enough to make him suck hard on the flesh in his mouth, and Rei’s heard tales of his kind falling prey to addiction like this, becoming dependent, vulnerable, _weak,_ and he wonders if that’s what this is, if he’s become prey to something he could kill in an instant.

He isn’t sure he minds the thought all that much.

Nagisa snakes his lithe form up Rei’s body, slow and torturous, using his free hand to shove one of Rei’s thighs up against his chest, spreading him open and curling his hips up, sinking in so deep Rei lets out a desperate broken whine. Rei feels like every inch of his body is smothered in heat, the hard lines of Nagisa’s muscles and bones burning harsh brands into his skin.

“I’m going to fuck you.” His voice is soft and delicate in the way that clouds before a storm are. “And you’re going to feed from me.”

Rei can’t help the moan, longing, anxious, that trickles from his lips.

This will be the third time. It’s unwise, it’s _dangerous,_ especially when Rei’s weak like this, decades of composure and carefully maintained rationality crumbling in the face of nothing more than a drop of blood and soft, vulnerable, _human_ flesh, when Rei doesn’t know if he’ll be able to stop.

“But-” It’s unwise.

It’s dangerous.

Nagisa shifts. His throat is so close Rei can _smell_ the blood beneath his skin.

“Oh, bat boy,” Nagisa coos, a lustful giggle rippling his voice, “ _Rei._ Did you think that was a request?”

He rolls his hips, then, and Rei shatters into pieces with a loud hiss ripped from the very bottom of his lungs, burying his face in Nagisa’s neck, feeling out where his pulse hums the strongest and tearing through the flesh with his teeth without another thought. Nagisa cries out, like he’s in pain, like he probably is, but the pitch of his voice wavers upwards then down again, into a dark, wanton moan when Rei begins to suck, and he’s well aware of the way his eyes go rolling back in his head when blood fills his mouth.

“Oh fuck _,”_ Nagisa gasps, a hand, palm still slick, curling about Rei’s cock, and his hips jerk, nails tearing right through the sun-yellow sheets below him, and he doesn’t even have the presence of mind to be apologetic, or fret about it, not when his entire body is starting to tingle, not when the taste of Nagisa is thick and sweet on his tongue, not when he can feel erratic trembles wracking through the warm body above him, “God, yeah, _Rei, **fuck-** ”_

Not when sparks, actual sparks, go flying, and Rei, where he is, has a perfect view of the antique candelabra on Nagisa’s dresser being knocked straight onto the carpet, and Rei, alarmed, cranes his head up to ensure that it hasn’t caught fire, still sucking.

“The-” He has to swallow, unable to speak through the thickness of blood in his throat, “The candelabra-”

“Don’t fucking _stop,”_ Nagisa growls, underscoring this with a particularly vicious snap of his hips.

“What if the carpet catches on fire-”

“Then you’d better hurry the fuck up and come,” Nagisa hisses, “Hadn’t you?” and Rei drops it, because all he can focus on is how hard and rough Nagisa’s fucking him, and the carpet will probably be fine, anyway, and the need to feed overwhelms him, tearing his rationality to shreds.

In the time it takes for Nagisa to make him fall to pieces, the hat rack in the corner, the weathered-looking grimoire on a stand, a box of dangerous looking talismans emitting a soft green glow, and a crystal ball have fallen victim to Nagisa’s constant stream of sparks, growing brighter and brighter as Nagisa’s moans and exhalations of _fuck, oh god,_ Rei’s name become louder and more frantic. Rei can’t even bring himself to care about the wanton mess and destruction, because-

“Please,” he begs, voice whispery, desperate, blood slick against his lips, Nagisa trembling against him, “Nagisa, _please,_ I-”

“Come on,” Nagisa hisses, “ _Come on-”_ And then there’s a snap and swoop, deep in his gut, and he’s coming harder than he ever has with a muffled shout pressed against Nagisa’s throat, blood slicking down his chin, the taste of life, the _living, Nagisa **,**_ heavy on his tongue. Nagisa strokes him harder, relentless, not so much letting Rei ride it out as he _forces_ him to, forces Rei to cry out with every pulse as he comes hard and sticky between them. Nagisa pulls up at the last second like he’s been electrocuted, a loud wretched completely _debauched_ whimper spilling from him as he snaps his hips forward one last time, eyes flying wide as-

As he spills warm stickiness inside of Rei, slick and noisy, as more sparks shoot from his wide unseeing eyes, aggressive, bright pink, in every which direction, snuffing some of the candles out, whizzing against Rei’s skin as he stares, shooting across the room and knocking a large ornately framed oil painting depicting a gathering of lobsters under a dock, clearly at some kind of festive gathering, each of them bearing matching towels, straight off the wall, face-first to the floor, where the glass promptly shatters at ear-splitting volume, almost assuredly destroying the painting.

“Oh _dear_ ,” he squeaks, but Nagisa doesn’t seemed to be concerned, not even sparing a look in that general direction, eyes still dark and unfocused, a final scatter of sparks before he slumps forward, directly into the sticky stunned mess that is Rei, forehead pressed against his shoulder. He’s panting harshly, still trembling in a heady tangle of aftershock and-

Blood loss, Rei remembers, with a prickle of anxiety.

“Nagisa,” he says, voice ragged.

“...Uhhn? _”_ Nagisa moans, fuzzy, post-coital and incoherent, like he’s fading out of consciousness, and Rei almost panics, then, wrenched back down to earth from the stars, because he’s still bleeding and actually _might_ be-

“ _Nagisa_ ,” he says, louder this time, trying to cut through the haze, “Turn your head for me.”

Nagisa doesn’t move, and Rei _truly_ begins to worry.

“ ** _Nagisa.”_** He bites Nagisa’s throat again, not hard enough to draw blood, just enough to pinch, so Nagisa jerks against him.

“Huh?” he mumbles.

“Turn your head,” he says, keeping his voice firm, steady, something for Nagisa to follow through the haze, “Just a touch to the left.”

A soft noise, then a sluggish shift, baring where he’d fed from to Rei’s lips again. Rei licks at the wound, sealing it with his saliva, relief surging through him now that that’s done. “There,” he murmurs.

Nagisa mumbles something that sounds vaguely like the shape of his name. Of course he’s weak, Rei realises, now that his senses are returning to him from the hazy red void of lust - three times in one night is irresponsible, outright negligent of him. Rei goes to wrap his arms around him, hold him until he becomes coherent once again, or perhaps cradle him as he falls asleep-

“Nagisa,” he says, anxiously, “Could you…?”

“Mmmmm?” He’s very clearly half-asleep. Rei feels awful, disturbing him.

“The ropes,” Rei says, “I’m rather…well. Tied up, I suppose.”

“Mmmmm.” The tiniest flick of Nagisa’s wrist, and Rei blinks as he feels every knot unravel at once, leaving the ropes slack against his skin, arms singing with relief as he pulls them out from underneath him. Remarkably efficient, and, as far as Rei can tell, he isn’t on fire.

He drapes his arms around Nagisa. “Are you feeling alright?” he asks.

“Mmhmm.” The slightest nuzzle. “Nice.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Rei says, sincerely.

It only takes ten minutes for Nagisa to stir against him - once again, Rei is amazed at how resilient his magic makes him.

“That,” Nagisa says, his voice barely above a sigh, “Was. _So._ Fucking wild.”

“Sparks flew,” Rei comments, with a wave of smugness, “In the end.”

“Uh-huh.” He sounds so perfectly content, like he’s in a waking dream, it’s almost enough for Rei to generate his own heat. “I usually don’t knock stuff over.”

Rei lets a contented smile curl across his lips.

“Wait a moment,” he says, wrinkling his nose, “ _Usually?”_

Nagisa giggles sleepily- he feels an elbow nudging against his ribs. “Don’t be jealous,” he chides, “No one’s ever made me break my rock lobster painting before.”

Rei doesn’t really quite grasp the significance of this rock lobster painting, but, even still, he can’t help but feel a _touch_ accomplished.

And then, Rei is startled by a long and crooning _“WHOA,”_ that seems to arise from somewhere outside of the door. He turns to look at Nagisa to work out if he should be panicked - perhaps a singing thief has broken into his home.

 _“WE’RE HALFWAY THERE,”_ sings a voice - and then more join in, _“WHOA, LIVING ON A PRAYER-”_

Rei blinks, utterly confused.

“Ughhh,” Nagisa groans, slapping a hand over his face, “Sorry about this, they get really excited whenever I get laid, just a second-”

He rolls out of bed, padding naked over to the door. Rei certainly does not stare at this pleasing visual as he swings the door open, because that would be utterly unbecoming.

“Guys,” he says, sounding harassed, “ _Come on._ What have I told you about Bon Jovi?”

There’s a pause. A series of hushed clicks that Rei realises must be the spiders communicating, furiously discussing their next song choice.

“Um, rude! I am _not ‘_ woefully ignorant about the history of modern rock music’,” Nagisa says, crossly.

Perhaps not, then.

Another series of clicks.

A pause.

“ _I KNOW,”_ rings out a booming, rich baritone, quite lovely to Rei’s ears, especially considering it’s coming from a spider, which, to the best of Rei’s knowledge, is supposed to lack vocal cords, “ _YOU’RE TIRED OF LOVIN’, OF LOVIN, WITH NOBODY TO LOVE…”_

The other spiders begin to harmonise, choral, perfectly in key. One spider, feminine in voice, begins to emit some truly impressive vocal runs. From the sounds of things, Rei suspects it has an eight octave range, which is, again, unexpected for a creature that lacks vocal cords.

“ _SO JUST GRAB, SOMEBODY,”_ continues the lead vocalist spider, “ _NO LEAVIN’ THIS PARTY, WITH NOBODY TO LOVE, NOBODY, NOBODY-”_

“Uh-huh, honey!” chimes one of the spiders.

“JESUS WEPT!” exclaims another.

Rei is baffled as to several things - what this song is, why Jesus is weeping. He wonders if the spiders are referring to the unholy nature of their sexual congress.

Nagisa glances back at Rei with a resplendent roll of his eyes. “Close enough,” he says, “But _pianississimo_ _,_ okay, guys? It’s sleepytime.”

Another series of clicks. The voices quieten down to a quite pleasing hum of harmony that is, actually, quite soothing to Rei’s ears.

Nagisa sighs, shaking his head, turning around and wandering back over to the bed. “Sorry,” he says again, climbing under the covers.

“Quite alright,” Rei replies, “They’re very vocally accomplished. Being spiders and all.”

“Yeah,” Nagisa grumbles, “They know it, too.”

Rei stiffens when Nagisa wriggles over, burying his face deep against Rei’s neck. He’s still warm, Rei thinks dazedly, almost _too_ warm, and-

He lets out a muffled cry, more out of surprise than anything else, when he feels teeth snagging against his throat, where his jugular used to pulse, when he’d been alive.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” he splutters, gripping onto Nagisa’s bicep and squeezing.

Nagisa lets out a soft giggle. “Being a vamp,” he chirps, “What else?”

Rei blinks, then lets out a little laugh when he feels the ticklish swipe of Nagisa’s tongue where his teeth had scraped. “You’re being quite silly,” he says.

“Must be all those _neuropeptides_ ,” Nagisa says, teasingly, and Rei can’t help the smile that winds its way across his face. “Would you bleed,” he asks, after a moment, “If I bit hard you enough?”

Rei shakes his head. Nagisa throws an arm about his stomach, curling in closer.

“You’re, like,” Nagisa says, mumbling the consonants so Rei has to struggle to hear, “Practically invincible.”

“In some ways,” Rei says, softly, “Not all.”

“Hmmm.” Rei never thought being nuzzled against so insistently could feel so pleasant.

“The life of a vampire is a solitary one,” Rei muses, letting his fingers drum against the small of Nagisa’s back.

“You’re way too attractive to be solitary,” Nagisa mumbles into his neck.

Sorrow, deep and complete and _real,_  curls in Rei’s belly - Nagisa isn’t wrong. “Can you imagine,” he says, “The unthinkable reality of offering the world nothing but beauty, yet never being able to see it for oneself?”

“That sounds terrible,” Nagisa says, sympathetically. A soft press of lips against Rei’s neck.

“Sometimes,” Rei whispers, covering his eyes with the back of an immaculately manicured hand, “One almost…”

“Almost?” prompts Nagisa. Another kiss.

“ _Tires_ of it,” Rei finishes, lost in the swirling void of existential angst.

He lets out a yelp of surprise, hand flying from his eyes and settling on Nagisa’s hip when the witch suddenly rolls over on top of him, straddling his own hips, eyes bright and determined with a faint shower of sparks spitting from them for a moment.

“Okay, but,” he says, breathlessly, raising his hands and wiggling his fingertips - Rei’s jaw drops when a million tiny sparks, all in a rainbow of burning pastel colours, spray from them, scattering harmless and warm against the soft skin of his belly, just like the sparks that had fallen from his eyes, “Cheer up, _becaaaaaauuuuse-”_ His voice has the urgency and excitement of a drumroll.

Rei’s eyes blink wide and startled at the first explosion, a bursting flower of rainbow sparks, leaving sunspots burnt onto the back of Rei’s eyelids and the faint smell of gunpowder tickling his nose.

“ _TINY FIREWORKS!”_ He’s beaming, fingertips flicking, and then Rei’s staring in bewilderment and delight at the sudden lights show, transfixed by vivid colours and swirling intricate patterns - bright yellow peonies, lavender diadems, pink and green kamuros, electric teal spiders.

“ _Amazing_ ,” Rei whispers, reverently, sparks tickling across his cheeks, his torso, his belly.

Nagisa shows his teeth in a proud grin. “Yeahhhh,” he says, ducking his head as he flushes, “I’m pretty much good at ropes, cakes, and fireworks.”

“Not the fireworks,” Rei corrects, “ _You.”_

There’s a swirling rainbow Roman candle, the most elaborate and stunning one yet, and then there’s nothing. Rei glances up at Nagisa, and Nagisa glances down at Rei. His eyes are wide, his blush deep, like he’s startled, like it’s the highest compliment he’s ever been paid.

His next smile is softer than Rei’s used to, no teeth, no mischief, just warmth, chin tucked against his chest as his eyes sparkle.

“Check _this_ out.”

He clicks his fingers on both hands, and his eyes flash like a magenta strobe, and then Rei’s mouth is dropping open at a bat sketched out in eye-searing lilac sparks, and it _moves,_ flapping its wings elegantly and swooping.

“Nagisa,” he murmurs, wonderstruck, “I’m. That’s. _You._ ”

It even has a monocle, he realises with a heavy dose of awe, watching it spiral into an impressive dive bomb, pulling out at the last second and soaring up high, flapping its wings as it climbs towards the ceiling.

“No one else has _ever_ been so nice about my fireworks!” Nagisa exclaims, breathless in the exact way Rei wishes he could be, the way the fireworks display deserves, “Everyone else calls them annoying and loud and a fire hazard!”

Rei’s about to tell him that they _are,_ in fact, a fire hazard, not that he particularly cares, when Nagisa’s eyes strobe again, and golden pinpricks of light scatter from his fingertips, swirling into the shape of a fluffy-tailed Munchkin cat. Rei watches in astonishment as gold and lilac swirl together, frolic together, the bat dancing playfully about the cat’s head.

“Beautiful,” Rei murmurs. He cocks his head. “Though - I understand the bat, but what is the cat supposed to represent?”

The cat nuzzles the bat affectionately as he speaks.

“Oh,” Nagisa says, mildly, “I can turn into a cat.”

Rei stares at him, jaw dropping a little - he thinks of the squeaky cat toy he saw in Nagisa’s living room earlier, and everything clicks into place.

Nagisa. His face is illuminated in shades of soft gold and cool lilac, hugging his cheekbones, the delicate line of his jaw.

“I mean, like,” he says, clearly engrossed in his magic, “Sometimes. I guess. Only on even-numbered days of the month and when the temperature is exactly seventeen degrees - haven’t really worked it out yet, I’m not so great at shapeshifting magic.” His eyes return to Rei’s. “You ever gotten high on catnip?” he asks seriously.

“I can’t say I have,” Rei admits.

“Oh, man,” Nagisa says, shaking his head as the cat jumps over the bat, “You would not _believe_ how fun a cardboard box can be.” He giggles. “But yeah! It’s you and me.”

“You and _I_ ,” Rei corrects, gently, watching the fireworks dance.

“Nerd,” Nagisa teases, sticking his tongue out.

He claps his hands together, fingertips pressing together symmetrically - the bat swoops to perch elegantly on the cat’s head, and Rei thinks he almost hears a purr, before the image blinks away altogether, leaving a final trail of sparks, lilac and gold.

Rei is more charmed than he’s ever been in his entire existence, both living and undead. He smiles, clapping his hands in a gentle, wholly appreciative round of applause. Nagisa giggles, looking bashful, swooping into a bow that ultimately brings him down to lie against Rei’s chest.

“Would that I had roses,” sighs Rei, wrapping his arms around Nagisa’s waist and holding him, “I would throw them to you.”

“This is nice enough,” Nagisa assures him, patting his shoulder gently, “Even if you _are_ cold.”

Rei glances towards the window. Daylight will be breaking soon. He is not particularly keen to tear himself away from the warm embrace he is currently enjoying but, practically speaking, he has to.

“I ought to leave,” he says. His stomach sinks even as he says the words.

Nagisa’s eyes blink open, all soft and bleary. “You should _stay._ ”

“But if the sun rises-”

“Don’t worry,” Nagisa says, waving his hand. The curtains twitch, no gaps to be seen. He hears shutters click into place outside of the window. “That won’t let any light through, I promise.”

“But I’d be intruding. I’d be forced to stay until night falls.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Nagisa says, eyes bright, smile soft.

“...Very well, then,” Rei says, smiling back, as the candles start to extinguish, one by one. Before the last candle goes out, before Nagisa stops using his magic, he looks to where his face had once been illuminated, and sees that his eyes _are_ entrancing in the dark, all soft glow, the most aggressively gentle shade of magenta. The glow fades away with the light of the last candle, and Rei knows where Nagisa is only by the sound of his breath, the faint background tick-tick-tick of his pulse.

“Night, bat boy,” he says, flopping quite ungracefully down onto the mattress from the sounds of things.

“Good night,” Rei whispers gently.

The spiders, clearly having heard their good night exchange, soften their voices, too, but Rei is so weary that all he hears is a hushed, soothing, _“Hey, how you doin’ lil’ mama lemme whisper in your ear,”_ before he loses himself to the depths of sleep

 

 

Rei sleeps peacefully, deep and dreamless. That is, until he’s woken suddenly, mouth wide open in a terrified scream as he plummets down and lands on the bed with a dull _THUMP_.

“What,” he gasps, panicked, eyes wide in horror, top-quality night vision searching for threats, finding only unfamiliar surroundings. He catches sight of Nagisa - and oh, _of course,_ he’s still with Nagisa - but that doesn’t explain the falling. 

Or the glare he is currently receiving.

“You woke me,” Rei says, because it’s the only logical conclusion, “It’s the middle of the day. Have some manners.”

“ _Manners._ You stole. _All_ the blankets,” Nagisa sulks.

“Well, it’s quite simple to take them back without bothering me,” Rei sniffs.

“Not when they’re floating towards the ceiling,” Nagisa groans.

“And _why,_ exactly, were they floating?” Rei asks, because by now he’s expecting the explanation to involve tap dancing dragons or something similarly ludicrous.

“You levitate,” Nagisa says, with another glare, “In your sleep.”

“I most certainly do _not_ ,” Rei snaps. What a  terribly rude accusation. He thinks he’d be aware, if he had such an uncouth habit.

“I just saw you do it!” Nagisa insists, “It was _terrifying!”_

There’s a long beat of silence. Rei reassess the nature of his undead existence.

How perfectly _mortifying._

“Supposing I do,” says Rei, “It’s not like I can _help_ it.”

There’s a rustle of blankets, and then Rei feels warm weight crawling over him, settling against his chest, lying practically on top of Rei,“I guess we’ll have to sleep like this.”

There is not a chance that Rei will fall asleep like that. It’s uncomfortably warm. Nagisa’s elbow is digging into his ribs.

“You’re too cold,” Nagisa grumbles, teeth chattering a little, “If you’d just let me use the warming charm-”

“I said no.”

“You’re so weird,” Nagisa says, as he tugs the blankets right up to his nose. He flings his leg up over Rei’s hip, clinging on tightly. “If you try to float again,” he yawns, “I’m coming with you.”

Rei does not float again, he’s quite certain - he blinks half-awake in the middle of the morning, Nagisa curled up on his chest, breathing deeply, firmly anchoring him to the mattress.

He throws an arm about Nagisa’s slight waist, and pretends, just for a moment, that they are breathing in time with one another.

 

 

They spend their day together, mostly in bed, dozing in and out of sleep. Rei learns that Nagisa is actually skilled at conjuring cake, but also bright pink frogs. There are several incidents, including the flock of crows that fly out of Nagisa’s kitchen cupboard, but overall, it’s pleasant.

He’s quite disappointed, when has to leave.

“Oh! Before you go,” Nagisa says, tugging on Rei’s sleeve as he heads towards the door. He presses something soft into Rei’s hands.

“I felt really bad so I fixed it. Mostly. Can't work out why it's still lavender though, I've tried everything. I guess it just wants to be?” He clicks his tongue. “Some clothes have really strong personalities, you know?”

Rei stares down in awe at his precious cravat, now a fetching shade of lavender. His favourite colour. Even more beautiful than it was before. He stands, gaping, too choked up to say anything.

“I think it’d look good on you, though,” Nagisa says, with a brisk nod, “Complement your eyes and stuff.”

“...Thank you,” Rei says, softly. He is mildly congested with tears as he accepts the garment, hands trembling with unrestrained emotion.

Nagisa smiles. “No problem, bat boy. It was the least I could do.”

Composing himself, because he is well aware of how undignified and unbecoming such an emotional display is, he clears his throat, takes a step towards the door.

“I ought to...” he says, haltingly, inclining his head towards it.

“Oh, yeah,” says Nagisa, blinking, and Rei could almost let himself believe that his face falls, “Yeah.”

“Much to do.” He doesn’t, not now that he’s fed enough to sate him for the next week. Read a book, perhaps. Contemplate the solitary nature of the vampiric lifestyle.

 Alone.

Nagisa lets out a laugh that rings nervous. “Same!” he chirps, “I have all this. Uh. Magic stuff. To do. Gotta like. Scrub the cauldron. Organise my alchemy lab. Negotiate tenancy rights with the new spider. And stuff.” Another nervous laugh. “ _You_ know how it is.”

Rei most certainly does not know how any of that is. He nods anyway. “Very well,” he says. He swallows. “I. Thank you for your-” _Sexual prowess. Kind nature. Fireworks, metaphorical and literal. Your lovely eyes._ “Hospitality.”

Nagisa shrugs. “Anytime,” he says, bashfully.

“The plasma cake was _especially_ appetising,” Rei continues.

Nagisa laughs again. “Oh, well,” he says, waving his hand, “Who needs that much plasma, anyway?”

 _All living, breathing human beings,_ Rei almost says, but that would be quite unseemly, so he doesn’t.

“Well,” he says, hesitantly, “Farewell, then, I suppose.”

“Look after yourself, bat boy,” Nagisa says. His voice softens when he says it, and Rei gives a jerky nod, taking a step towards the door.

But something, he knows not what, gives him pause. He hesitates with his hand hovering over the doorknob.

He really ought to leave. Really.

He glances down at the cravat in his hands. He runs his thumb over the smooth silky fabric, admiring the hue, the perfect balance of red and blue tones.

He’d take a deep breath, if he could.

“Nagisa,” he says, taking a step back again. His voice trembles a little as he turns to face the witch, who looks at him with curious eyes.

“Did you forget something?” he asks, “You got your underwear, right?”

“Yes,” says Rei, “I mean, no. I mean, _yes,_ I collected them, thank you, and no, I haven’t forgotten anything.”

“Oh,” Nagisa says, a touch awkward.

“I…” he swallows. “I have another request. If you’ll hear it.”

“Sure!” chirps Nagisa, with a smile.

Rei hesitates.

“Perhaps,” he says, haltingly, “One evening. Both our schedules permitting, of course, might we go and,” he pauses, considering what it is humans do to express romantic intent, “Ah. Get a drink together?”

There’s a beat of silence.

“You're hungry again?” Nagisa asks, eyes wide, “Already? I mean, I guess. I might need to lie down though-”

“No,” Rei says, “A normal beverage.” Nagisa keeps staring at him, eyes impossibly wide and unblinking. It’s mildly disconcerting. “I mean,” he continues hastily, “Not that I consume such beverages, but we would have conversation, of course, and it would be enjoyable, perhaps. If you might consider it.”

“...Are you asking me out?” Nagisa squeaks, eyes wide, positively _riveted,_ “Like, _out_ out? On a _date_?”

“Should our schedules permit it,” Rei repeats, nervously. It’s rather nerve-wracking - Rei hasn’t been on a proper date in roughly sixty years.

Just when he thinks Nagisa is about to reject his proposal, as he’s been standing there in silence for a good thirty seconds now, he lets out a small, excited squeak, then claps enthusiastically, then _twirls in place,_ and Rei would be more struck by how truly endeared he is if there weren’t a trail of blue flames licking out behind Nagisa, and if the curtain beside him weren’t suddenly ablaze.

Rei, quite used to this variety of fiery tomfoolery by now, calmly steps aside to avoid being singed.

“Ooops,” Nagisa says with a nervous laugh, waving his hand in the curtain’s vague direction. The resulting jet of water saturates not only the curtain, but also the couch.

“You’ve just destroyed your-” Rei begins to point out, alarmed.

“Don’t worry about it!” Nagisa chirps, eyes shining, “It’s not important! Oh my _god_ , I was gonna ask you for your number, and then I thought you probably don’t even have a phone because you’re all spooky and three centuries old and stuff-”

“I am not even _close_ to three hundred years old, thank you,” Rei cuts in, quite miffed, if he’s being honest, “And I _do_ have a phone.”

“Oh good!” Nagisa exclaims, and then Rei is very nearly bowled over by a swift embrace, not even sure how Nagisa even managed to cross the room so quickly. Nagisa squeezes him tight, gazing up at him with excitement bordering on adoration. “Of _course_ I’ll go out with you, you’re, like, the coolest person I’ve ever met!”

“I am?” Rei is astonished by this admission. He has been called sophisticated, refined, devastatingly attractive - but never cool.

“ _Yes,”_ Nagisa breathes excitedly. His eyes widen. “Will you wear the cravat?”

Rei’s heart melts, dead as it is. “....Will you leave the hat at home?” he asks, cautiously.

Nagisa waves his hand. “Oh, that thing,” he says, “I only wear it to raves!”

“Splendid,” Rei says, sincerely, and then he’s being pulled into a soft, sweet kiss, Nagisa sighing against his lips before he pulls back to grip Rei’s hands excitedly.

Nagisa’s smile is sunny beyond belief, bright like fireworks, and Rei has long detested sunshine, but he thinks, perhaps, he could come to love it, when it’s like this.

Trouble, as it turns out, may not be such a bad thing, after all.

Rei smiles back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for joining us on this spooky scary journey
> 
>  
> 
> drop us a spooky line, if you dare:
> 
> Growlithe - http://nagireigisa.tumblr.com/  
> sparklecringe - http://offdensens.tumblr.com/ or @partymakoto on twitter


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